Where's Yugi?
by Daricio
Summary: When technology transports people across worlds, things get very very odd. Yugi will need help from all his friends to not only save the world but to put the two split worlds back together... Please don't read this, it's old and terrible! D: Seriously.
1. Where's Yugi?

Hello! To those of you who are new to reading my fic, I'm Daricio! Hi!!!! *waves*  
  
Ok, everyone! This is the great, grand, mucho-ly talked about, (At least by my reviewers) Where's Yugi!!!! Before we start, Yes. This IS a self insertion fic. Very much so. But it is not an insanity fic, although there is very much humor here and there. It also gets sad in some places... All in all, it kinda hits almost all the bases.  
  
These first few chapters were very stupid, so I went back and rewrote them. I hope you like the revised version. It is MUCH better than the other version.  
  
So, yeah...  
  
I got the idea for the story by playing a game with my brother, DVD185, and my sister, Shells124. It started from there, and the idea just keeps getting biggerer and biggerer!!! So, now you have to start reading! ^^  
  
And now, without further adu, the fic!  
  
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{Yugi's POV}  
  
School was over for the day! Finally! Took it long enough... Now Yugi was walking home with Tea, like they always did. Today, there was really nothing to talk about, so they were walking in silence, simply enjoying the warm sunny day.  
  
After a while, Tea came up with a thing to do. "Hey, Yugi! Want to race to your Grandpa's shop?"  
  
Yugi didn't say anything for a moment. //Yami, will you race for me! I'm not very fast...//  
  
//No, that would be cheating. And besides, you never know, you might win.// Yami responded logically.  
  
Yugi mentally sighed, then responded to Teas question by dashing ahead. "I'm winning!" He shouted back to her.  
  
"Hey!" Tea ran to catch up to him. "Thats not fair!"  
  
"Fair enough!" Yugi called back. "I'm-- Whoa!"  
  
He stopped midsentance as he fell over. Tea ran up to him.  
  
"Yugi, are you alright?"  
  
Yugi sat up, brushing the dirt from his hands. "Yeah... I'm fine... That was weird, though..."  
  
"I'll say it was! You never fall down!" Tea said, looking worried.  
  
"That's not what I meant... Did you see the flash of light? That's what made me fall... It was a flash of light..." Yugi asked her.  
  
"I don't know, Yugi. I didn't see any flash of light." Tea said uncertainly.  
  
"Oh. Well then what could it be?" Yugi asked. He immedietly regretted his words, though, as Tea opened her mouth to respond. He could sense a friendship speech about to come forth, and he was just bracing himself for it, when suddenly.....He was somewhere else!  
  
Tea stared at the place where, just moments ago, her friend had been sitting on the ground. "YUGI?!?"  
  
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{Still Yugi}  
  
Yugi looked around him, trying to figure out what had just happened. //What's going on?// He thought to himself.  
  
//This is strange...// Yami commented.  
  
//Yeah.// Yugi agreed. He sighed slightly. This WAS very strange, but at least he still had Yami there with him... Wherever he was, he wasn't alone... Maybe he wasn't alone anyway....  
  
"Hello?" He ventured. "Anyone here?"  
  
A loud shouting noise came from somewhere high above him. "What in the world?!?!?!?"  
  
//Wow... took the words right out of my mouth...// Yugi thought sarcastically.  
  
He looked around, trying to find whoever had just spoken.  
  
The person got closer and Yugi was able to see... a really big face?!?!?!  
  
"Wha!!!!!" Yugi tried to take a few steps backwards and fell off of... whatever he had been standing on... and fell onto... whatever that was below it... It seemed like really big carpeting... which, strangely, made sense... seeing as he had just had an encounter with a really big person...  
  
"Yugi, are you ok?" The voice asked.  
  
Yugi stood up quickly, his eyes wide. This THING knew his name, too???  
  
//Ok, I've done lots of strange things before... Battling in the shadow realm, mind shuffling, getting turned into a duel monster, getting my friends to stop fighting by offering them hospital food... but this is totally bizzare!//  
  
//I'll say.// Yami agreed with him. //I wonder if she knows me too...// Yami seemed to be talking more to himself than to Yugi, so he turned his attention back to the person.  
  
"Who are you?" He asked.  
  
"Oh, I'm Daricio." She said, grinning. "And this... is really weird..."  
  
//Daricio... well, we know her name now...// Yugi thought to himself.  
  
Yugi looked up at her. "How did I get here? Where is here?"  
  
"Honestly, I have no clue... I was playing with my tin there, and I... well... Here, let me show you by doing the same thing again..." She did so, bringing her finger down and pressing gently on a white square painted on the corner of the box... tin... whatever...  
  
Suddenly there was the flash of light again. Yugi blinked.  
  
He was standing in the streets of Domino again. Tea was staring at him.  
  
"Yugi!" She cried. "WHATHAPPENED, WHEREDIDYOUGO, QUICKLET'SGOTOYOURGRANDPA'SSHOP! HURRY!"  
  
"I don't think there's TIME to do that, Tea! Daricio's going t-" His words were cut off by another flash of light as, apparently, Daricio hit that square again.  
  
Yugi sighed and stopped trying to talk to Tea, realizing that he was sitting on that tin again.  
  
"Did it work?" Daricio asked, looking excited.  
  
"Yeah, but do you realize-"  
  
Daricio grinned. "This is SO cool!!! I wonder if it will work with my OTHER tins!!!"  
  
The color drained out of Yugi's face. "Wait!"  
  
Daricio didn't hear him. She was already across the room, pulling stuff off of a shelf.  
  
Yugi shook his head. He was starting to get a headache from all this...  
  
//Let me talk to her, Yugi.// Yami suggested. Yugi nodded. They switched.  
  
"Daricio!" Yami called out. She looked over, then came back, holding a few other tins in her hands. She set them down, then sat down.  
  
"Yeah?"  
  
"I still don't get it... What's going on???"  
  
"I don't know... But if you don't get it, that would be because I haven't told YOU anything yet.... I've only been talking to Yugi before!"  
  
Daricio turned to her tins and started shuffling them around. Yami was staring at her.  
  
"How... how.. how..." He stammered slightly.  
  
"How did I know that you guys switched?" She finished for him, not looking up.  
  
Yami nodded.  
  
"It's obvious! You're about two inches taller than Yugi!" Daricio looked over, grinning at Yami's shocked expression. Yami just stared.  
  
//I TOLD you that you were taller than me.// Yugi said.  
  
//So? That doesn;t mean I have to run races for you...// Yami replied.  
  
//Darn...//  
  
"Now then, let's try these other tins!!!" Daricio exclaimed. "Hmmm... which one?..... hmm... I wonder..."  
  
She pulled one from the bottom of her little pile and set it on the top.  
  
Suddenly, Yami thought he knew what was happening... He looked down at the tin that he was standing on. It had his picture on it with the Dark Magician behind him! He realized with a start who must be on those otehr tins... his and Yugi's friends...  
  
He watched Daricio, unable to do anything, as she pressed the square on the tin.  
  
Yami saw a brief flash of light, and then suddenly, HE was on the other tin! He looked around... when he looked off the edge, he could see the tin he had just been standing on.  
  
"Cool." Daricio commented. "If I set this one here, and that one over there and press the square, I can transport you across the room!"  
  
"Don't. Please. Don't." Yami said, looking at Daricio seriously. Daricio looked at him with a disappointed frown, then shrugged.  
  
"Fine, I'll try more tins!" She pulled another tin off of a shelf near her and set it on the floor next to the other tin. Now Yami could see clearly who was on it.  
  
It was Seto Kaiba.  
  
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There! Now isn't that MUCH better?!?!?!  
  
Well, now that you've read it, review!!! If you're new to reading this story, then I hope you enjoyed it! If you're not, I still hoped you enjoyed it!  
  
See ya when I see ya!  
  
--Daricio 


	2. What's going on?

Hiyz!!! This ish chapter 2 of my wonderful crazy-yet-not-insanity fic!!! ^^ This is the revised version, once again, so I hope you will agree that it is better than the old version. Read on to enjoy!  
  
(Gee, I sure have a whole lot to say today, don't I?)  
  
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{Yugi}  
  
Daricio pressed down on the square of the Kaiba tin and waited. She didn't have to wait long... Soon there was a breif flash of light, and Seto Kaiba appeared.  
  
He immedietly fell over.  
  
//He must have been sitting on something.// Yugi said, giggling. //Then when he transported, he was sitting, but with no chair!//  
  
He sensed Yami mentaly smile. Kaiba looked around, confused for a moment.  
  
"What in the world?" He said aloud. He looked back and forth, searching for somebody to explain to him what had just happened. Then he looked up. "AAAHHH!!!!"  
  
"Hi! I'm Daricio!" Daricio said cheerfully.  
  
//She is very hyper.// Yami commented. Yugi nodded slowly.  
  
Kaiba slowly stood up, still staring at Daricio. "What... how.... Why am I here?"  
  
"Um... Cuz I felt like it. Yugi's here too!" Daricio said, grinning widly.  
  
Kaiba's frown deepened. This was what he last wanted to know. "Great."  
  
Yugi chose this moment to call down to Kaiba from the top of the pile of tins. "I'm up here! Kaiba, do you know where we are?"  
  
Kaiba said nothing, just continued to stare at Daricio, frowning. After a while, he said, "This is just great... I'm stuck in freakyland, with my worst enemy and a..." he stopped, trying to figure out what Daricio was. Finally he just shook his head and continued. "Whatever. And nobody knows where we are!"  
  
Yami frowned, then started trying to climb down off of teh top of the pile of tins so that he wouldn't have to shout for Kaiba to hear him. Daricio saw what he was trying to do and picked him up, lowereing him to the ground.  
  
"You're sure you don't knwo where we are?" Yami asked softly, trying to make sure Daricio couldn't hear.  
  
Kaiba nodded, still staring off into outer space. "She probably knows, though." He said, pointing up at Daricio.  
  
//He's right. Yami, I think I can talk to her more easily. You just get frustrated trying to talk sense into her.//  
  
Yami agreed. //Alright. We'll switch again.//  
  
That done, Yugi looked up at Daricio. Then he gasped, realizing what she was doing. She had pulled down another tin, this time one with Joey on it, and was about to press the square!  
  
"Wait!" Yugi called. "Don't you realize what you're doing?"  
  
Daricio stared at Yugi. Apparently she didn't.  
  
"Every time you press one of those buttons, it makes REAL people come here! At our home, we really disappear! I bet Tea, for one, is worried sick about me! Not to mention how Grandpa will react when Tea tells him!"He turned to Kaiba. "And I bet Mokuba was with you when you disappeared, right?"  
  
Kaiba frowned, then nodded. "Yeah. He was telling me about his homework assaignment..." Just then,he realized something, standing up quickly. "Oh, shoot. If I just disappeared, Mokubas probably called security, and... "He began mumbling to himself and pacing the edge of the tin.  
  
Daricio stared at Yugi, wide eyed. "Wow... Are you serious?" She asked.  
  
Yugi gave her a slightly exasperated look. "Of course I am."  
  
Daricio frowned, then looked over at Kaiba. "I guess this means I have to send you guys back..."  
  
Kaiba stopped his pacing. "Yes. Please." He said.  
  
Daricio sighed. "Ok." She hit the square on Kaiba's tin. There was a small flash of light and he disappeared.  
  
"Just one thing... Can you not do this anymore? I don't know about anyone else you bring over, but it gives me a headache." Yugi said.  
  
Daricio nodded reluctantly. "Fine..." She reached over and pressed the square on Yugi's tin as well. There was a small flash of light, and then Yugi was standing back on the streets of Domino.  
  
He looked around. When he didn't see Tea anywhere, he ran towards the Game Shop, assuming that she'd go there. He opened the door and looked inside. his suspisions were correct. Tea was at the front counter, talking frantically to Grandpa who was standing behind the counter.  
  
"And then he disappeared again! I have no clue what happened! It was just, one second he was there, the next he wasn't!!!" Tea cried.  
  
"Tea, calm down! He's standing right there!" Grandpa said with a bemused expression on his face. He obviously didn't believe Tea's story.  
  
"He IS?!?!?" Tea whirled around. Spotting Yugi at the door, she raced over and barreled him over with her sudden questions. "Whathappened?AreyouOK?Wheredidyougo?!?!?!?"  
  
"I'm fine, Tea." Yugi said, assuring her. Then he turned to Grandpa. "But what she was saying about me disappearing..."  
  
"Oh, don't tell me... It really happened, right?" A voice said jokingly from the corner.  
  
Yugi turned to face the voice's owner. "Oh, hi Joey. I didn't see you over there..."  
  
"Did that really happen, Yugi?" Grandpa asked, the cheerful sparkle still in his eye. Yugi nodded.  
  
Joey shook his head. "I dunt believe you." He said. "You're goin nuts, Yuge. You too, Tea."  
  
He said it as a joke, but it made Yugi stop and think. Sighing, he said mentally, //Maybe I am going nuts...//  
  
//Only if all three of us are going nuts.// Yami reminded him. //And somehow, that doesn't seem likely.//  
  
"Maybe it was a very, erm, interesting dream that you both happened to share." Grandpa suggested. "That does happen now and then..."  
  
Yugi looked up at Grandpa. "But I'm sure that- oof!" Tea elbowed him. She apparently didn't want people thinking she was nuts.  
  
"Yeah, I guess you're right. Let's talk about something else now, shall we?" She said quickly.  
  
"Wait a sec, guys..." Joey pulled a piece of paper out of his pocket. "This may not be what it is, but it would explain alot of it was."  
  
It was a magazine article. "Why are you carrying this article around everywhere with you?" Tea asked.  
  
Joey shrugged, then flipped the article over, showing her a coupon for 20% off a nintendo game.  
  
"Oh."  
  
"Read the article, though. It's nutty as a fruitcake, but..." Joey went on.  
  
Yugi took it and read it aloud. "Scientist gains new theory!  
  
If this scientist's new theory is to be believed, then if youre famous, take extra care not to be caught on the "Freaky World Cameras" (FWC's) According to this theory, there is a strange "Other world" orbiting the sun not too far away fromour planet, and is invisible to us. This world, apparently, has several of these FWC's posted everywhere in our world. They are invisible. Some people say that there areeven some planted in random people's minds, and that they can move from mind to mind... The people on this freaky world turn the imiges they collect into T.V. shows that they call "Animes." But the scariest part of all, is that this other world has special picture technology, (FWC Pic. Tech) that allows them to transport people who have been caught on the FWC's from our world over into their world. Recent studies show that, thankfully, very few people are actually aware of the existance of this technology on their world, so it is rare that it is used to bring people over. If you are famous, or have lots of things happen to you that are interesting, then be wary. (Note other recent studies show that they do not air everything, only the exciting things that happen.) (Another note: Everyone who believed this theory was placed in the nuthouse along with the Scientist.)"  
  
"So whaddya think, Yuge? Think this explains anything?" Joey asked, wanting to know if his contribution had helped.  
  
"Maybe, Joey. Meybe..." yugi repleid, lost in thought. "The way she got me there, apparently, was by pressing a square that was on a picture! The same with Seto Kaiba. Maybe-"  
  
"Whoa, whoa, whoa, slow down... Are you saying that Kaiba was there too?" Tea asked. Yugi nodded.  
  
"Ok, now we gotta look this up in teh news!" Joey exclaimed. "If Kaiba's disappearing, everyone will know bout it!"  
  
Tea frowned. "yeah... Man, wish I could help out, but I'm already late to my Friendship speech club, and if I miss another meeting, my leader will seriously, personally kill me."  
  
Yugi gave her a strange look. "Kill you? And this is a friendship club?"  
  
Tea shrugged. "I gotta go." She left.  
  
Joey and Yugi stared after her for a moment, shaking their heads. Joey suddenly looked at his own watch.  
  
"Oh, man. I gotta get going to, Yuge... Sorry... I'll see ya..." Joey looked worried as he left the shop. Yugi didn't blame him. It was all very confusing...  
  
"I'm going to go up to my room now." He told Grandpa.  
  
Grandpa nodded. "Alright. Don't stay up too late tonight... Bakura came by earlier today... He says he'd looking forward to that duel tomorrow morning in the park."  
  
"Oh, right... that... Ok, thanks Grandpa."  
  
When Yugi got to his room, he lay down on the bed.  
  
//Yami, has anything like this ever happened to you before?// He asked using the mind link they shared.  
  
//If I had, I would have told you. Sorry, but I'm just as confused as you are.// Yami said, sighing. //For now, just get some sleep. At least Daricio isn't going to be doing that anymore. She said so.//  
  
//I guess you're right.// Yugi said. With this in mind, he fell asleep.  
  
***********************************************************************  
  
{Daricio}  
  
Daricio was still staring at her Yugi tin. "Could it be true?" She wondered to herself. "Could I have really been talking to the two main characters from my favorite show? It can't be possible!"  
  
She sighed, then began looking at all the different tins that she had.  
  
2 Yugi tins, a Kaiba tin, a Mokuba tin, a Joey tin, a Mai tin, a Tea tin, and a Tristan tin.  
  
"Could I really make ALL of these people appear? Would they really be from the actual show, or just people? What would happen if they really did all appear?" Daricio wondered. "I wish I could talk to Yugi about this, but he said not to bring him back... Maybe I should bring him here anyway, just to get some questions answered. Just him, not other people though."  
  
She reached into one of her tins and pulled out her dueling deck. "If I was able to talk to him, we would definetly have a lot to talk about... Especially about duel monsters... I'm pretty good, but I could always use some strategy tips..." She pulled her 5 favorite cards from the top of her deck and examined them. "Definitely a lot to talk about...Yup, I'm totally going to talk to him tomorrow, whether he likes it or not."  
  
With that, she put her deck away, keeping her favorites seperate, still looking at them. They were: Two dark Magicians, one Magician of Faith, one Red Eyes Black Dragon, and a Change of Heart. She liked them because, to her, they represented the characters... The two Dark Magicians were for Yugi and Yami, the Magician of Faith was for Tea, the Red Eyes was for Joey, and the Change of Heart was for Bakura.  
  
She set her favorite cards on her nightstand, then went to sleep.  
  
***********************************************************************  
  
Do you see a slight problem with their schedules? *Evil grin* I don't!!!!! This is going to be perfect! In an evil sort of way... Go read chappie three for more! 


	3. The Duel With Bakura

Okies everyone! Chappy three! Here we go!  
  
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{Yugi} (Again)  
  
When Yugi came downstairs for breakfast the next morning, the daily newspaper, The Domino, was on the table. He jumped back slightly as he realized what the headline and the article below it was:  
  
"LOCAL MULIT-MILLIONAIRE CRAZY!!!  
  
Mid-afternoon yesterday, young Mokuba Kaiba called the cops, the FBI, and several other places with very strange news. He reported that while he was talking to his brother, the rich Seto Kaiba, He suddenly disappeared! After calling security, the cops, the FBI and so on, Mokuba raced back into the kitchen, to find Kaiba sitting on the floor next to his chair. Seto hasn't said a word since. When police and security came into the kitchen, Mokuba was sitting in Seto's lap who was still sitting dazed on the floor. Both have been confined to a padded room in the local nuthouse. We hope they will be fine later, but for now, the future looks grim for these two brothers."  
  
Yugi was shocked! He didn't realize that Seto would react like THAT!!!!  
  
//Oh, well// Yami thought to him, //The nuthouse is where he belongs anyways//  
  
//Don't joke about this! This is serious!// Yugi cried.  
  
//It's true.// Yami answered him.  
  
"So, are you feeling better after a night's sleep, Yugi?" Grandpa asked him from the doorway of his room.  
  
"Well, I'M better, but Kaiba obviously isn't." He said, showing him the article. Grandpa read it and began laughing.  
  
"I always knew he'd get himself in there sometime!!!" He chuckled. "The nuthouse is where he belongs anyways." Yugi sighed.  
  
"I gotta go to that duel with Bakura now. I'll see you in a bit." Yugi told him.  
  
"Have fun!" Grandpa said, still chuckling about the article.  
  
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{Still Yugi}  
  
Yugi wasn't really worried over the duel. His mind was still preoccupied with Seto. He walked over to the new dueling ring in the park the City Officials had put in when Yugi got first place in the Duelist Kingdom. (They like it when you get the city recognized in the paper.)  
  
"Yugi! come on!" Bakura cried when he caught sight of Yugi. "I'm ready to duel now!!! Are you?"  
  
"Yeah!" Yugi cried, running up to him. Yugi and Yami did what they ALWAYS do right before a duel; they switched.  
  
"It's time to duel!" Yami said. He got up on the platform and placed his deck on the field. Bakura did the same.  
  
"I'll go first." Bakura said, drawing his hand. Yami waited as he contemplated his move. "I'll play this face down, and this card in defense mode." he finally decided. "It's your move."  
  
Yami looked at his hand. He had some really BAD cards to start out with. the only good one to play down was The Giant Soldier of Stone. He played it face down. "I play this card face down, and then, I'll end my turn."  
  
Bakura was now confused. Yugi usually opened the duel by playing a monster in attack mode. Apparently he was trying a new strategy this time. He contemplated his next move, and decided to play his best effect monster face down, just in case he decided to attack. "Your turn Yugi." He said.  
  
Yami drew a card for his turn. It was the Mystic Elf. Not the best card in the world, but it had a high defense. He played it facedown.  
  
Now, Bakura was REALLY confused. Yugi was definetly trying a new strategy. He wondered what it could be. He played another face down card, just in case.  
  
//Ok, now this is getting boring. Very soon, we'll both have all of our monster card spots filled up, and then where will we be?// Yami said. //Come on Heart of the Cards! Something I can use to actually attack this turn!!!//  
  
He drew his card. It was the Feral Imp.  
  
//Greeeeeeeeeat.// Yami thought sarcasticly.  
  
"I play this card face down, and then-" Yami started.  
  
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{Daricio: A little while before that}  
  
Daricio still didn't really believe that Yugi could possibly be telling the truth about them being REALLY from the show. She decided to try an experiment. She would be talking to Yugi later today anyway, so she might as well bring him there early! "Today is Saturday," she thought. "And every Saturday is when the new episodes are on. So Yugi should be on!"  
  
She went over to the big screen TV that she had in her room and flipped it on to the channel that Yu-Gi-Oh is usually on. On the screen, Yugi was battling Bakura. Bakura played a card face down, and a Monster face down. "Probably his morphing jar." she thought.  
  
Then Yugi played a card face down. (Actually, it was Yami. She could tell.) Then Bakura played another card face down. Then Yami played another card face down. Then Bakura played another card face down.  
  
"Man, "she thought. "This is getting boring." she grinned. "I think I'll liven it up a bit." She ran over and grabbed one of her Yugi tins.  
  
On the screen, Yami said, "I play this card face down, and then--"  
  
Daricio interrupted him by pressing the square. Yami disappeared form the screen, and appeared on the top of the tin. "I'll ...Wha? " Yami asked himself, looking around.  
  
On the screen, everyone was going nuts! People were running everywhere, yelling at the top of theri lungs! "Yugi! Yugi! Where did you go? YUGI?!?!?!?!?" Yami could distinctly hear Tea wailing in the background and giving a really looooooooong friendship speech all of a sudden. Daricio turned off the TV and looked at Yami.  
  
"Wow." She commented. "you were right."  
  
//Obviously.// Yami thought. He sat on his tin and looked up at Daricio again. "Why did you bring me here when I was in the middle of a duel?"he grumbled.  
  
Daricio shrugged. "I had to know!"  
  
"I read the newspaper this morning, and Seto Kaiba is now in the nuthouse! When I get back there, can you guess what'll happen to me if I try to explain where I went?"  
  
Daricio looked ashamed. "Sorry." she murmured. " I didn't realize that.... Sorry."  
  
Yami sighed. "What else did you bring me here for?" he asked.  
  
"To talk to you. What else? There is always so much that everyone wants to know about their favorite people, and now I get to ask my questions! And show you stuff!" she said excitedly. Then she got up and opened one of her many tins. Yami sighed again.  
  
//Yugi, can you take over before I yell at her?// He asked. Yugi agreed, ginning, and they switched again. Daricio glanced over at him.  
  
"Oh, hi Yugi! I have questions for you too!" she called from across the room.  
  
//I STILL can't get over how she can tell between us!// Yami complained.  
  
//Oh, well. Get over it, anyway.// Yugi replied.  
  
"Ok, guys, Question #1!" Daricio said. She sat down in front of them. "How-- " She was cut off when suddenly, Yugi disappeared again. She stared for a moment, then realized what must have happened.  
  
************************************************************************  
  
Somewhere on the other side of the world, Yugi saw a flash of light and popped out of a different tin. He looked around, slightly confused, then he realized that he wasn't in Daricio's room anymore, but he was still small.  
  
Then a voice came from above him. Unfortunetly, He couldn't understand it, because they were speaking in another language. He was about to reply to the voice, when he saw a flash of light and disappeared again.  
  
************************************************************************  
  
Yugi appeared on the tin in Daricio's room again. He had a headache once again.  
  
//I guess that's a side effect that the transporting does// He decided.  
  
"Yes! I got you back again!" Daricio cried triumphantly. "Now, then, I was about to ask you my first questio-"  
  
She got cut off by Yugi disappearing again. "Hey!" she cried. She hit the square again and Yugi came back.  
  
Then he disappeared again.  
  
She hit the square and he came back.  
  
Then he disappeared again.  
  
Then he came back.  
  
Then he disappeared again.  
  
Then he came back.  
  
Then he disappeared again.  
  
Back and forth and back and forth.  
  
Finally, the other person gave up, deciding that their tin must be malfunctioning.  
  
"YES!" Daricio cried in triumph again as Yugi reappeared on her tin and stayed there. Yugi swayed a little.  
  
"Whoa.....Headache...........Dizzy......" He said. Then he blacked out and fell over.  
  
"Uh,.....Sorry...." Daricio said, grinning slightly. "Are you ok?" she asked.  
  
Yami gained control and stood up. "Sheesh! That just gave him such a big headache, that even I felt it!" he complained.  
  
"Well, I was wanting to show you something, but you probably have to go back, now..... Sorry about Yugi.... " Then Daricio pressed the square on his tin, and he diasppeared again.  
  
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Hope you likyed it! Keep reading on! Go to next chappy! 


	4. Back to Daricio's Room

OK, here we go for Chapter 4!!!! Hopefully it will be as good as my other chappies...  
  
************************************************************************  
  
{Yami}  
  
Yami appeared on the dueling arena. His cards were still sitting on the feild, exactly as he had left them. The park was deserted. Yami gathered up his cards as quickly as possible, then jumped down.  
  
//I don't want anyone to know I'm back yet. I still need some time to think and to get Yugi to wake up.// He thought to himself. He ran out to the street and looked around. As he had suspected, there were people everywhere searching for him. He quickly ran to the nearest allyway and took the backroads to Grandpa's shop.  
  
Yami sneaked into the shop and up the stairs. He opened the door to Yugi's room, only to find... Joey sitting on his bed! " Uh.... Hi." he said. Joey had a strange look on his face. It was sort of a cross between relief and annoyance.  
  
"Where did you GO?" Joey asked.  
  
" I... Uh...." Yami stammered. Joey calmed down a bit.  
  
" You can tell me. We were all worried about you!" Joey said.  
  
Yami sighed. "Alright, I'll tell you, but don't tell anyone else that I'm back or what I'm about to tell you, or they'll think I'm going nuts!"  
  
"I won't tell. What's going on?!"  
  
Yami told him what had happened to him and Yugi. Joey sat down on the bed.  
  
"This is getting serious. When you and Tea first told me about you disappearing, I really didn't believe him. Then when I saw you really disappear... Man I can't even describe how I felt. It was almost as bad as being cut off from you when you were dueling Pegasus." He looked down at the floor.  
  
//Yami?// Yugi asked weakly. //What just happened? That was really strange.//  
  
//I know.// Yami replied. //It'll be fine. Just relax.//  
  
"Well, I know you asked me not to tell anyone, but if anyone's GOT to know, It's Tea and your Grandpa. Can I tell them? They're worried sick!" Joey asked. Yami nodded. Joey left the room.  
  
//Too bad we can't just explore that room of Daricio's for ourselves, without her knowing we're there. Unfortunetly, we can't even get there without her help!// Yugi complained, obviously feeling better. The effects of the tins must not last long...  
  
//Maybe. But you do have to remember, we have a Millenium Item, and neither of us know what powers it holds. Perhaps it can transport us there.// Yami said hopefully, in order to raise Yugi's spirits. He didn't really think that his was possible, but it seemed to make Yugi feel better.  
  
//Yeah, you're right! Come on! Let's go exploring inside the puzzle! // Yugi cried. //We might just find some answers.//  
  
Yami sighed.  
  
Yugi started to explore for a while with Yami following him around. They looked for a long time, until they came to a really small door. Yugi opened it and cautiously went inside, but Yami didn't fit.  
  
//Blast it! Yugi, come back! I don't want you to get hurt, and if I can't be with you...//  
  
//I'll be fine!// Yugi answered. With Yami still calling after him, he walked down the corridor and into the room. Inside was just a table with a button on top. Yugi knew he should probably not push it, after seeing what had happened to Shadi when HE was exploring the puzzle, but his curiosity overcame him, and he pressed it.  
  
Suddently, there was a flash of light, and outside the puzzle, they were in Daricio's room once again.  
  
Yugi walked back to Yami. //See, I told you I could do it!// Yugi told him.  
  
//Hmm.// Was all Yami would say about it. //Better start exploring, huh?//  
  
Yami (outside the puzzle) walked over to a shelf and started to climb up it to get a better view. There was a bunkbed right next to it, and Yami was sure he would be able to see the whole room from there.  
  
After what seemed to be an eternity, he reached the top of the shelf and had jumped onto the bed. Then he sat down under some of the covers. He was tired from the climb. After resting for a while, he stood up to see the room.  
  
Suddenly, he heard a noise coming from behind him, as if there were something else on the bed with him.  
  
Yami slowly turned around. Behind them, blending slightly into the covers, was a big grey cat.  
  
Normally, Yami liked cats, but HERE, he was small, and this cat was BIG.  
  
// This CAN'T be good.// He thought. He started to run as the cat got up, still looking at him. Yami hid behind a pile of books. He was just about to climb onto the windowsill near him, when he heard Daricio's voice coming from the hallway.  
  
"Smokey! Where is that cat? SMOKEY!!!! SMOOOOO- Oh! there you are!" Daricio picked Smokey up off the bed and set her on the floor. Yami let out a small sigh of relief.  
  
//Yugi? Are you feeling up to taking over?// he asked.  
  
//You bet!// Yugi answered enthusiasticly. They switched.  
  
Yugi looked over the side of the bed to see what Daricio was doing. To his great suprise, she was turning on the TV and the VCR, and popping in a movie. //I wonder what she likes to watch.// Yugi thought.  
  
At this point, all that was on the screen were some commercials. It was obviously a recorded show, and so, was a rerun. //She must like this episode.// Yami commented.  
  
Daricio fastforwarded through the commercials, and then stopped. There, on the screen, was...  
  
//What? It's me!// Yugi thought. //And there's you! That newspaper article was right! Our life really is a TV show!//  
  
//Yeah. No wonder she can tell the difference between us...//  
  
They watched for a while, then Daricio sighed. "They really need to change the theme song. That part has ended a long time ago."  
  
Yugi was excited. This was going to be fun! Yugi saw the power of Pegasus's Eye trapping Grandpa, and close ups of Joey, Tristan, Tea and Seto Kaiba.  
  
When the theme song ended with one final "Yu-Gi-Oh...oh.oh..oh," it began to show the episode. Yugi watched intently.  
  
**************************************************************************** ******  
  
Ok, people... I have to end it there for two reasons. the first is that my fingers hurt from typing... : ) and the other is that I'm not sure what episode Yugi should see... Please send me your opinions! (It has to be one that reveals to Yugi something that he didn't already know.) See ya later! 


	5. YuGiOh! The Episode

Ok, thanks everyone for your opinions of what episode I should do! *evil grin* I picked a veeeeeeeeeeeeeeeery interesting episode for him to watch....  
  
************************************************************************  
  
{Yugi and Yami}  
  
On the screen, Yami was dueling Pegasus. Actually, at this point, it was showing Yami having a flashback of Yugi fainting.  
  
//You know, Yami, you never did tell me exactly what you did when I was out..... //Yugi said to Yami.  
  
Suddently Yami remembered some of the strange things he had said to Pegasus during that duel. //Uh.....Maybe we shouldn't watch this.// He said with a slightly embarrassed tone...  
  
Yugi turned to look at him. // What? Did you do something stupid?// he asked. He continued watching the screen, a grin forming on his face. // Cool.... that should make this even better!// Yami sighed.  
  
"You shall pay for what you did to Yugi!!!!" The Yami on the screen shouted. "And it will be his Final Act of Courage that will stop you!"  
  
Yugi giggled. //All I did was play a Ritual Magic card down.....and it wasn't really my "final act".//  
  
Yami looked embarrased. //Hey, it's not MY fault! I thought you were dead! You should give me some credit!//  
  
Yugi shrugged and looked back at the screen, still grinning.  
  
The Yami on the screen continued in his little speech. " Blah blah Yugi's final act of courage! Blah blah blah blah..... Yugi's final act of courage! blah blah blah!"  
  
Every time he said it, Yami got redder, and Yugi kept giggling.  
  
Then the scene shifted to what was happening outside the shadow realm!  
  
// Hey, neither of us has seen this!// Yami commented, relieved to have it stop showing him talking to Pegasus.  
  
"What's happening to Yugi in there?" Tea asked.  
  
"I dunno." Joey said. "but it can't be good."  
  
"I can't just wait for him any more! I'm going in there!" She ran towards the bubble, but when she hit it, she just came back out again! "huh?"  
  
She put her hand into it and it came out a couple of inches from where she had put it in.  
  
"Woah!" she cried as she pulled her hand back out.  
  
Then Tristan ran in. Instead of comeing right out again like Tea did, he went right through it and came out on Pegasus's side of the field!  
  
"Tristan! Tristan! Can you hear us?"  
  
"Yeah! I'm coming back!" He ran through again.  
  
"Hey! If Yugi was able to reach out to us, Maybe we can reach out to him! Let's try it!" Tea of course. The three all joined hands and stared at the bubble.  
  
"Come on Yugi." Tristan cried.  
  
"Kick that guy's butt!!!" Joey added.  
  
"Yugi!" Tea, of course. "We're all here for you!"  
  
//That must be when your grandpa came and told me to trust in your friends to help me out!// Yami thought.  
  
Sure enough, The next scene was of Yugi's Grandpa telling him to trust in Yugi's friends.  
  
Then Yami drew another card. Pegasus tried to read it, but it was blocked by an image of Yugi's friends. (and Yugi, unconscious and being held up somehow by Tea.)  
  
"Oh, no!" Pegasus cried! "I'm being blocked!"  
  
"That's right, Pegasus! Now you're just going to have to take them as they come! And they don't come any better than this!!!" the Yami on the screen said.  
  
The Yami on the screen played Magic Boxes and got the Dark Magician out of harm's way. Then he used Mind Control to take over Pegasus's Relinquished. (and the Jigen Bakudan that Relinquished had sucked up, of course.) and then he used the Ritual card that Yugi had played and turned the Dark Magician and the Jigen Bakudan into the Black Chaos Mage.  
  
//Oh, no.....// Yami thought. //Here it comes.....Any moment now.....//  
  
"Now you will be defeated by Yugi's Final Act of Courage!!!!!"  
  
Yami winced as Yugi began giggling again.  
  
They both watched the rest of the duel, and grinned when Yami blew up the Thousand Eyes Restrict.  
  
"You're finished, Pegasus!" the Yugi on the screen said determinedly.  
  
The scene shifted back to outside the bubble. Tea, Tristan, and Joey watched as the bubble dissolved, revealing Yugi.  
  
Everyone said some really strange friendship-speech-type-things, and then realized that Pegasus was gone.  
  
Up on the balcony, Bakura woke up. Yugi and the others filled him in on what had happened, he agreed to watch Mokuba, then Yugi and the others left.  
  
//Now it's going to show us, trying to track down Pegasus, and It'll show Shadi trying to--// Yugi stopped suddenly, and gaped at the screen. It was now showing Bakura as...... Evil Bakura!!!!  
  
//Ok......This complicates things a little......// Yami commented.  
  
//Evil Bakura's..... Still here!!!!!!! We have to get back and stop him before he does any more terrible things!!! He's probably the one who stole Pegasus's Eye!!!!!// Yugi was panicked.  
  
//Wait. Let's see if we can learn any more.....From the show, and from Daricio. If she knew that already, she might know many more things, too.// Yami replied.  
  
On the screen Pegasus freed the souls, then, confirming Yugi's suspicions, Evil Bakura battled Pegasus, Eye to Ring up in that room that they had found the journal in. Evil Bakura won, slamming Pegasus up against a wall. He took Pegasus's Eye, then, shortly after, the show came to an end.  
  
"I wonder what Yugi would do if he saw THAT!" Daricio wondered as she stretched out on the floor of her room. Her doing so distirbed the cat which had been sitting on her lap and it glared at Daricio slightly before lying down on the floor. Daricio picked her up and dropped her outside the door.  
  
"You're going outside! I'm going to play with my rats on my bed now, and you'll just scare them!" Daricio told the cat.  
  
//Uh, oh// Yami said. //Time to get out of here, before she finds us.... Yugi, go hit that button again. I'll hide from Daricio.//  
  
Yugi raced back into the room with the button inside the puzzle. For some reason, the button was still pressed from when he had pressed it before.... He wasn't going to be able to press it, so he was going to have to pull it up again. Unfortunately, that was easier said than done.  
  
//Yami! The button won't work!!!!// Yugi cried as he ran out of the room again. //In order to get back, we'll have to tell Daricio we're here! I don't think we want to do that! She'll get mad at us!//  
  
//We don't really have to. But we do have to find where she keeps those tins and press the button on one of the ones with our picture on it.// Yami replied. //Unfortunetly, first, we have to get off the bed without Daricio noticing us! And while avoiding those rats.//  
  
He hid behind the books again and began trying to figure out how to get down from there. Daricio put the rats on the bed, then got up herself.  
  
//They look kinda cute....// Yugi commented.  
  
//Something tells me this is NOT going to be fun.// Yami said to himself  
  
**************************************************************************** ******  
  
Read next chapter! Now! I command you! ^_^ 


	6. Trying to get back home

Okies! Here's more! ^_^  
  
**************************************************************************** ***  
  
{Yugi and Yami}  
  
Yami was still stiiting behind those books trying to figure out how to get down. He thought and thought and thought.  
  
//Maybe I can form some sort of rope and climb down that.....// He took off his jacket and looked at it. //I don't think this is long enough though.// He placed it on the ground for when he could find a bigger piece of cloth to tie it to.  
  
He turned towards the edge of the bed again. //Or maybe I could just jump off....But that would hurt......//  
  
//Yami, you're going to have to do something! // Yugi cried.  
  
//Alright, fine. This will definetly hurt, but I'm going to have to just jump off...... Now where did I put that jacket?// Yami turned around to look for it and came face to nose with a really big, really cute rat. It was chewing on his jacket.  
  
Yugi stiffled a tiny laugh as Yami inched closer to it to grab his jacket.  
  
//Nice ratty......NICE ratty......// Yami thought. // Big ratty.......// He grabbed hold of the jacket and pulled.  
  
Unfortunetly, a rat's main instinct of "What to do if someone is trying to steal something from you," is to run away and hide the thing somewhere.  
  
So of course it turned away, pulling the jacket out of Yami's grip, and ran under the covers with it.  
  
//Oh, GREEEEEEEEEEEEEEEAT// Yugi groaned. // My school uniform jacket! Now I have to get another one! //  
  
// Sorry.// Yami apologized. He turned toward the edge of the bed again. // Well, I guess I have to just leave the jaket here...// He groaned slightly, closed his eyes tight, then jumped.  
  
// IhatefallingIhatefallingIhatefallingIhatefallingIhatefalling I HATE FALLING!!!!!!!!!!// Yami kept thinking. He hit the floor with a small bump. //Owwww.........//  
  
He looked up. There was a rat looking over the edge at him. He shuddered. // How can Daricio LIKE those things?// He wondered.  
  
He ran under a shelf and looked around. //Now, where would Daricio keep her tins?//  
  
//They can't be too hard to find....// Yugi thought. // After all, those things are pretty big...//  
  
Yami glanced around the room. //Yeah, well this whole place is pretty big.// He shuddered again, thinking of the cat and those rats. //Who's bright idea was it to come here again?// he asked.  
  
//I'm not answering that question.// Yugi said with a sly grin. Yami sighed.  
  
*thump*  
  
//What was that?//  
  
*thump*  
  
//Something tells me I don't want to know.//  
  
*thump* *thump* *thump* *thump* *thumpthumpthumpthumpthump*  
  
The door slammed open and a boy raced into the room and began jumping up and down, causing, what felt to Yami, like a small earthquake every time he hit the floor.  
  
" DARICIO!!!!!!! DUEL???? DUEL???DUEL???DUELDUELDUELDUELDUELDUEL?!?!?!?!?" He asked.  
  
"No! I'm playing with my rats!" Daricio answered. "Maybe later."  
  
"Please?"  
  
"No."  
  
"Pretty please?"  
  
"No."  
  
"But you NEVER want to duel me!"  
  
"That's because you always beat me, DVD!"  
  
"So?"  
  
Daricio sighed. "Little brothers...." Yami heard her mutter.  
  
"Ok, Ok. Fine."  
  
"YEA!!!!" DVD sat on the floor with a huge thump and spread something out. Yami didn't really have a good view of it. Daricio got off her bed and put her rats away. Yami noticed that neither of them had his jacket.  
  
//Great. My jacket is still up on the bed......// he thought.  
  
Daricio got out her tins, opened one of them, and took out a bunch of playing cards. She placed them on a thing identical to the one that DVD had spread out.  
  
"No tribute." Daricio said. "Ok?"  
  
"Ok. Fine with me!"  
  
//What are they doing?// Yugi wondered.  
  
//I can't tell... I think they're playing a game....// Yami replied.  
  
He looked around for a place to hide that was closer to the game. There was that pile of laundry.... Something told him he REALLY didn't want to hide there... And there was a pile of books on the floor.  
  
//Man, Has she actually READ all of these books, or are they just sitting here?// Yami wondered.  
  
(Note to reader: Yes, I do read all those books..... I like to read....)  
  
Yugi shrugged. //Just listen to what they're saying. Can you figure out what game they're playing?//  
  
//...Well, they're "dueling." ....That sounds kinda like Duel Monsters....I could tell if I could see it better.....// Yami told him. He ran over to the books and listened.  
  
"I play a card face down and a card in defence mode and end my turn." DVD said.  
  
"I play.........um......."Daricio started.  
  
Then another voice came from the hallway, " DARICIO!!!DVD!!!!!!! DINNER!!!!"  
  
"But Mom!!! Me and Daricio are dueling!!!!!!" DVD whined.  
  
"You can finish that up after dinner!" Mom called.  
  
"Awww.......We NEVER get a chance to duel!!!!!!!" DVD whined some more. They both got up and went down the stairs.  
  
"Good." Yami whispered. "Now I can see what game they were playing..." He walked over and looked at the cards that were on the field.  
  
"I was right.........They were playing Duel Monsters..." He realized as he looked at the Dark Magician that was in Daricio's hand of cards. He walked over to Daricio's pile of tins. "Now where's the one with me on it?" he wondered.  
  
He looked and looked. After a while, he found both of them. "Oh, Greeeeeeeat..... they're on the bottom of the pile."  
  
He pushed on the tins on top. They didn't even budge. He pushed as hard as he could. They still didn't budge. // What does she KEEP in these things? Rocks?//  
  
He spent a long time pushing on them before he had to quit.  
  
*thump* *thump* *thump*  
  
Daricio and DVD were coming back up the stairs. Yami hid behind the pile of tins.  
  
"Ok! Now I'm going to defeat you!!!!!" DVD shouted.  
  
"Not if I beat you first!" Daricio shouted.  
  
They raced into the room and sat at their places.  
  
"It's your turn, Daricio! Go!" DVD yelled.  
  
"I play the Dark Magician in attack mode and attack your face-down monster!" Daricio said.  
  
DVD flipped it over and immedietly placed it in his graveyard. It had been destroyed. Then he drew a card for his turn.  
  
" I play MY Dark Magician! Then I attatch the Book of Secret Arts to him and destroy your Dark Magician!"  
  
"Darn." She put her Dark Magician in the graveyard. She drew a card for her turn. It apparently wasn't a very good card, because she had a slight look of disgust on her face that said clearly, why do i still have this card in my deck????  
  
" I discard the Feral Imp." She said, placing it in her graveyard. Yugi was shocked.  
  
//Hey! the Feral Imp is cool!// He turned to Yami. //Why did she get rid of it?//  
  
//Maybe she doesn't like it......// Yami said.  
  
// Obviously.// Yugi said, sounding displeased with Daricio.  
  
"I play this card face-down and end my turn." Daricio finished.  
  
DVD drew for his turn. He grinned evily. "I play down the Slot Machine! Then, I activate Ultimate Offering. I sacrifice 1000 Life points, to bring out Curse of Dragon and The Blue Eyes White Dragon!"  
  
// Blue eyes?!?!?// Yugi thought. //But....//  
  
"The Curse of Dragon will atack your face down card!" DVD shouted.  
  
Daricio flipped it over. It only had 1900 Defence points. She put it in the graveyard.  
  
" Now the Slot Machine, The Dark Magician, and the Blue Eyes White Dragon will all attack your life points directly!" He added up all the figures using a nearby calculator.  
  
"That brings you from 8000 to 1100 Life Points!" He had an evil grin on his face. "But you forget.... I still have a Magic card on the field! It's Monster Reborn! I reborn the Dragon Zombie that was sent to the grave yard earlier! It has an attack power of 1600! It will now attack your life points! You lose!"  
  
Daricio had a kind of dazed look on her face. " Now THAT was the shortest duel we have ever done." She commented.  
  
She gathered up her cards and placed them in the open tin on top of her pile. Yami quickly ran back behind the books again before she could spot him.  
  
DVD gathered up his cards too, then ran from the room yelling, " I WON!!! I WON!!! I WON!!!! YEA!!!"  
  
"Man, I almost wish that the Blue Eyes DIDN'T come with EVERY single Kaiba Starter Deck.... Now they're not really rare any more......" She paused. "Of course, if there wasn't a Blue eyes with every Kaiba Starter Deck, There most likely wouldn't be a Dark Magician in every Yugi Starter Deck, so I wouldn't have two..."  
  
She sighed. "oh, well...." She stared at her tins for a while, then an evil grin started to appear on her face. She looked around quickly, then got up and shut her door. She sat down again and pulled out her Mokuba tin.  
  
" Let's see here....If I bring Yugi here again, he'll get mad at me again....plus I think he probably still has a headache.... So I think I'll have some fun with Mokuba!"  
  
//Something tells me this is NOT going to be good.// Yami commented.  
  
She dug around in her closet for a while before coming out with a Barbie dress. Daricio grinned. "Perfect!"  
  
//Ok, now I KNOW that this is not going to be good.// Yami sighed.  
  
Daricio pressed the square on Mokuba's tin. He popped out of the top. He was asleep. He was also wearing a straightjacket. Daricio still had that evil grin on her face. She carefully took off his straightjacket without waking him.  
  
After she had done that, she put the dress on him over his clothes.  
  
//Oh, no......// Yami groaned.  
  
Daricio pressed the square and he disappeaed again. " I wonder if anyone will notice....." She grinned some more...  
  
//Ya know.... That is sorta funny// Yugi said stiffling a laugh.  
  
//No, it's not!!!!!// Yami scolded him.  
  
//Yes it is.// Yugi said.  
  
Yami sighed.  
  
Daricio thought for a while. " Well, mad at me or not.... I still want to talk to Yugi..... If not to just talk with him, then to tell him what I just did to Mokuba..... He might think it's funny...Yami probably wouldn't, but Yugi might."  
  
She pressed the button on the square. Yami saw a flash of light, then he was on the tin in Daricio's hands.  
  
//This is going to be a Looooooong day....// Yami thought.  
  
*********************************************************************  
  
Note to People: THIS IS NOT CALLED "MOKUBA BASHING" !!!!!! This is called being evil to my charecters! (Don't get me wrong. I really like all the charecters! (except maybe Tea...)  
  
I just like making weird, funny stuff happen to them! (Can you really blame me? It's fun!)  
  
Anywhos, I hope you enjoyed this chapter! See Ya!  
  
--Daricio! 


	7. Dueling DVD

For those of you who have not yet figured out what I mean by "tins" in this story, allow me to elaborate..... Depending on where you live, (some places may not have this, I don't know) you get get metal boxes (with Yu-Gi-Oh charecters on them) that have 5 booster packs in them for about $18-25.  
  
(In real life, I don't think there is a Mokuba tin, a Joey tin,a Tea tin, a Tristan tin, or a Mai tin...... The only ones I know for sure exist are the Yugi tins, (that actually have a picture of Yami on them) and Kaiba tins. (I know this because my brother owns a Yugi tin and I own a Kaiba tin.)  
  
Note to readers: I know that it really wasn't nesessary to have a duel in the last chapter. I put that in for two reasons: to introduce to them that they have duel monsters in their world, (or rather that we have duel monsters in our world) and I put it in there because I wanted to whine about how much my brother beats me in duel monsters. (That was a duel that really happened. I was really mad at him.)  
  
So, anyways, now that that's all taken care of, ON WITH THE FIC!!!!!  
  
***********************************************************************  
  
Daricio looked a little bit annoyed with her tin. "Why did I have to press the button twice this time? Stupid tin. It didn't do that the OTHER times I brought people here! It didn't do that when I brought Mokuba here!!!!!"  
  
Yami sighed. He didn't like listening to whining. He sat down at the tin and looked over at the space where she and DVD had been dueling. // Hmmm...... Let's see...... How to tease her about losing so fast without letting her know I was here?.....hmmm......Oh! I know!//  
  
"What were you doing over there?" He asked pointing at the place on the floor where the dueling field was still out.  
  
"I was dueling with my brother." Daricio replied.  
  
"Dueling?" Yami asked, trying to keep up the act of innocence......  
  
"Yeah, We have Duel Monsters here too..... Only here, we call it Yu-Gi-Oh." She suddenly looked very excited. "And I want to show you some of my cards! They're really cool!!!!"  
  
She opened up her Mai tin, her Tristan tin, her Tea tin and her Joey tin and pulled out a huge bunch of cards.  
  
//Now THAT is a lot of cards!!!!!!// Yugi said, awed.....  
  
Daricio began shuffling through her huge stack of cards.  
  
"Look at these!!!!!!" she cried, pulling out cards every once in a while and placing them in a stack in front of Yami.  
  
"Uh........" He jogged over to the stack and attempted to turn it over and look at it. "......Heavy......."  
  
"Oh, sorry........I forgot you were small........." She turned over the cards and spread them out so he could look at them.  
  
She had a couple of Morphing Jars, Change of Heart, Mirror Force, and a bunch of others.  
  
//She probably has much better cards than these... She's just showing us ones that she owns that she has seen on that show........ // Yami noticed.  
  
He looked at some more..........Several Dark Magicians, a couple of Blue Eyes, several of the different kinds of monsters that had attacked them in the Virtual Reality game......  
  
"This would be SO much easier if I were bigger." Yami said, sounding very annoyed.  
  
"Well, maybe you could use the power of that puzzle.... Maybe IT could do something." Daricio suggested.  
  
Yami looked at more cards. Suddenly, Daricio shoved one in front of him. " You HAVE to see this one." She said. It was Toon World.  
  
"What?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!??!?!?!?!?!??!?!?!?!?" Yami gaped at the card, then looked at Daricio who was looking very amused at his reaction.  
  
"My friend has one too." she told him. "Unlike the show, though, in order to place it on the field--" Daricio started.  
  
*thump thump thump thump thump*  
  
"Someone's comeing up the stairs towards my room!" Daricio cried softly. There was no time to gather up all her cards and transport Yami back, so she quickly and carefully picked him up, dropped him in one of the open tins, and put the lid on.  
  
A few moments later, Yami hears the door barge open. Because the lid is on the tin, he can't see who it is that came in.  
  
"Don't you know how to knock? I could have been getting dressed!" Daricio shouted.  
  
"Sorry." The other person said. "This is my room too, Daricio."  
  
"Yeah, but you should still knock!" Daricio responded.  
  
"Why do you have Yu-Gi-Oh cards scattered everywhere on the floor? You're always telling ME not to do that!" The other voice said, whining slightly.  
  
Suddenly, Daricio realized that Yami didn't know who it was that she was talking to so she very deliberatly added her name into her sentance. "Well, Shells, I have a good reson to be doing this! You never do! So there!"  
  
"So what's your reason?" Shells asked.  
  
"None of your business!" Daricio replied.  
  
"Why not? You think that just because your older than me, you get to have secrets! Let me guess... You have your cards out because you want to duel DVD again, Right?" Shells124 asked.  
  
"Yeah.... Something like that...." Daricio said.  
  
"Can I help you?" Shells asked hopefully.  
  
"No. I don't really need help." Daricio replied. "What did you come in here for?"  
  
"Oh, Yeah!!! Mom wants you to go downstairs and fill the dishwasher!" Shells said. "Can I look through your cards while you do that?"  
  
"NO!!!! .....I mean... No, sorry... Not right now.... " Daricio said quickly. "Can you, um,..... tell Mom I'll be right there?"  
  
"MOM!!!!! DARICIO SAYS SHE'LL BE RIGHT THERE!!!!!!!" Shells screamed at the top of her lungs. Yami winced. Now he had a headache.  
  
//She is LOUD!!!!// Yugi commented.  
  
//Stating the obvious, are we?// Yami asked, still rubbing his ears and trying to make his headache go away. //Can you take over?//  
  
//Fine.// Yugi said.  
  
"Not like THAT!" Daricio said, exasperated. "Can you go out of the room for a second?"  
  
"Why?" Shells asked. There was a pause and then she said, " Are you doing something that you shouldn't be doing?"  
  
"No!" Daricio said. " I just.... well.....I..... Have something I need to do!"  
  
"Can I watch?" Shells asked.  
  
"No!" Daricio cried.  
  
"You never let me do anything fun!!!!!" Shells complained.  
  
"Yes, I do! Shells....." Daricio tried to say, now feeling sorry for her little sister.  
  
"No! You never listen to what I say! I'm just in the way!" Shells cried, and she ran from the room.  
  
*thump thump thump* She ran down the stairs.  
  
Daricio lifted the lid off the tin. "Sorry about that." She told Yugi. I have to go now, as you know, so you have to go home. See ya."  
  
She pressed the square on his tin, he saw a flash of light, and then he was back in his room again.  
  
*************************************************************************  
  
Sorry for having such a short chapter. I is braindead today... *_* Hope you liked what little I have..... 


	8. Combination Confusion

Hi again!!!!!!!!! I'm back!!!!!!! And I have a new chapter too!!!!!!  
  
(Note to reader and to Caterfree 10: Yes I really do own Toon World and almost all of the other cards I mention in this story! ^_^ )  
  
This chapter is a little confusing..... Sorry.....  
  
************************************************************************  
  
{Yugi}  
  
Yugi was trying to get to sleep, but he just COULDN'T get comfortable!!! He tossed and he turned, but it seemed to him as if there was no way he was going to be able to get to sleep.  
  
He looked up at his alarm clock. It was midnight. "Great." He mumbled softly. "How am I ever going to be able to go to school if I can't get a good night's sleep?"  
  
He turned over to face the wall. Then he turned to face his window again. He tossed and turned some more.  
  
//Yugi?// Yami asked him. //Are you OK?//  
  
//Yeah. I just can't sleep.// Yugi reassured him. //I think....//  
  
//What do you mean?// Yami sounded worried all of a sudden.  
  
//Oh, nothing. It's nothing. It's just that, normally I can get to sleep just fine, but tonight, I can't......//Yugi said.  
  
//Well, that's nothing to be worried about. That's just your body changing. It does that when you get to be this age.// Yami tried to be helpful, but he was being slightly annoying.  
  
//That's not quite what I meant, Yami.//Yugi told him. He rolled over again, still trying to get comfortable.  
  
//Then what do you mean?// Yami asked.  
  
//I'm not sure myself...//Yugi answered. He was now getting restless. He got up and began to pace the room.  
  
He kept pacing and pacing and pacing.  
  
//Yugi, what are you doing that for?// Yami asked.  
  
//I told you, I can't sleep, and it's bugging me.// Yugi answered. He kept pacing.  
  
//Well, What do you mean? Maybe I can help, if you just explain it....// Yami said.  
  
//Um, Like I said, I'm not sure, but......I don't know.... It's kind of the same feeling that I had when I found you, Yami.... A feeling that I wasn't alone....// Yugi told him.  
  
//But, you ARE not alone.//Yami said, confused.//I'm still here....//  
  
//Yeah, well...... It's not the same.......It's like...........Like the both of us aren't alone here......Like there's yet another person here...//Yugi tried to explain. //It's like........ Daricio...//  
  
*************************************************************************  
  
{Daricio: At the exact same time}  
  
Daricio was trying to get to sleep, but she just COULDN'T get comfortable!!! She tossed and she turned, but it seemed to her as if there was no way she was going to be able to get to sleep.  
  
Daricio looked up at her alarm clock. It was midnight. "Great." She grumbled softly. " How am I going to ever be able to do my paper route and go to school if I can't get a good night's sleep?"  
  
She turned over to face towards the wall. Then she turned to face her window again. She tossed and turned some more.  
  
"Ow!" she suddenly sat bolt up in bed. There was something under her covers! "Oh, great. Shells must have been up on my bed playing with her stuff again. Well, I guess that explains why I couldn't get comfortable."  
  
She threw back the covers to get the thing out from under there. It was dark, though, so she couldn't see it. She reached towards where she thought it was and felt around. When her fingers touched it, she picked it up. She was about to just throw it off the bed, when she had a strange feeling that she should find out what it was.  
  
She climbed down off her bed, being careful not to wake up her sleeping sister on the bunk below her. She set down the thing on her desk where she would be able to find it and started digging around her shelf for her flashlight.  
  
After a while, she gave up. She thought about where she could possibly find a flashlight. Without really thinking about what she was doing, she began to pace the room.  
  
She kept pacing and pacing and pacing.  
  
"Daricio?" She heard, suddenly from the bed. "What are you doing up?"  
  
"Did I wake you up, Shells?"Daricio whispered to her little sister, who was now staring at her from the bed. Shells nodded. "Sorry."  
  
"That's OK. What are you doing?" She asked.  
  
"Just thinking about where I could find a flashlight." Daricio answered. "I found something strange on my bed and I wanted to know what it was."  
  
"Don't you keep one on your bed for reading late at night? Shells asked innocently.  
  
Daricio stared at her. "Who told you about THAT?" She asked.  
  
"Nobody. You read EVERY night! It keeps me up sometimes." Shells answered.  
  
"Yeah, right." Daricio muttered under her breath. Her sister was a pretty deep sleeper.  
  
"It's true! Anyway, where is that flashlight?" Shells swiftly changed the subject back.  
  
"Dad took it away from me. Too much staying up late. Apparently I wasn't getting enough sleep." Daricio grumbled. She stood there thinking for a sec, then she grinned. "Oh, right! I got it back Yesterday! It IS on my bed!"  
  
She ran over to her bed and pulled down the flashlight. Shells got out of bed. "I wanna see what it is too." She told Daricio.  
  
"Fine." Daricio agreed. Shells peered over her shoulder as she shined the flashlight on the desk where the thing was.  
  
It was a blue jacket.  
  
***************************************************************************  
  
{Yugi}  
  
The next morning, Yugi was very tired. He had finally been able to go to sleep at about 12:30 that night. He went downstairs for breakfast. He quickly glanced at the headline on the paper. It read:  
  
CHAMPION DUELIST DISSAPPEARS!!! WILL HE EVER BE FOUND?  
  
Yugi sighed. Something told him he was NOT going to have a good day at school. He ate his breakfast and ran out the door.  
  
**************************************************************************  
  
{Daricio: At the exact same time}  
  
The next morning, Daricio was very tired. She had finally been able to go to sleep at about 12:30 that night. She went downstairs and did her paper route.  
  
When she was done, (After having to deal with two new customers and a vacation stop) She spooned some of her Mom's oatmeal into a bowl and sat down at the table.  
  
She reached for the paper to get at the comics. The headline caught her eye and she turned back to it. It read:  
  
LOCAL ICE SKATER GOES FOR GOLD MEDAL! WILL EVER MAKE IT?  
  
Daricio shook her head and turned back to the comics. For a second there, she was SURE that it had said something else....  
  
*************************************************************************  
  
Does anyone out there get where I'm trying to go with all of this? Anyone at all? Anyways, if you do get what's going on, Have fun reading these next chapters. See Ya!  
  
--Daricio 


	9. Trouble at School

Hey, all!  
  
I was going to have what just happened in the story be a kind of a mystery and have the audience try to figure out what in the world was going on, but after several trys and retrys of this chapter, I have decided that it is easier to just tell you, so I can tell my story.  
  
Basicly, what's happening, is that Yugi and Daricio (Me) are forming a mental bond. Every time he gets transported to Daricio's room, the bond gets stronger. Neither Yugi or Daricio know what's going on.  
  
The reason Yami isn't also forming a link with her, is that he's so independant, that he can't have links with anyone unless he makes them.  
  
Just for a note, anything you see one character doing, the other is probably doing something like it.  
  
At first, it seems as though it's just plain weird that they are doing almost the exact same thing at the exact same time, but after a while it starts to get them into a bit of trouble.... Read on....  
  
**************************************************************************** **  
  
Yugi tried to get through the school day without bringing much attention to himself, but that's kind of hard when you're Yu-Gi-Oh, the newspaper says you've dissappeared, and you have unhideable, noticable, multicolored hair. Needless to say he was attracting quite a few stares.  
  
Right now, he was in his math class. He tried hard to consentrate on his work, but it was very difficult. Not only was he being stared at by virtually everyone, the lesson was on quadratic equations and imaginary numbers. It was very confusing.  
  
//Ok, I have to take the opposite of B and divide it by two times A, then add/subtract the square root of B squared minus four times A times C, then divide all that by two times A.... Right?// Yugi tried to figure it out.  
  
//Uh....Yeah...Right.....I think.....//Yami was trying to figure it out too.  
  
//So, because the problem is two X squared plus four X plus ten, I have to take the opposite of four and divide it by 2 times two which is four. Then I either add or subtract the square root of four squared minus four times two times ten and divide all of that by two times two. // Yugi thought he had it figured out now.  
  
//Uh, Yup..... That's what the teacher said......//Yami tried to keep up with Yugi. //Why couldn't I have remembered all of my math skills from when I was Pharoah? Then this would be SO much easier....//  
  
// I have no clue, Yami.... Anyway.....That turns out being.... negative one plus or minus the square root of negative ninety-six. Then I divide that by four. uh.......That would be......uh.... Ok, great. This problem requires imaginary numbers because there is no such thing as the square root of a negative number..... So that is.... negative one plus or minus i times the square root of ninety-six, then divide that by four....... Wow. My head hurts now.//Yugi stared at the problem some more and sighed. // I guess I don't have this down as well as I thought I did. This is confusing.//  
  
**************************************************************************** **  
  
When Daricio had gotten to school, somehow she had just KNOWN that this was going to be a bad day. As she went through school, things just kept getting stranger and stranger.  
  
Now she was heading to math class. Lunch was after that and she was greatly looking forward to the one time she was actually allowed to take out her Yu- Gi-Oh cards and do some trading and dueling. She sighed. That was a whole hour away, and she had a test in math.  
  
She walked into the classroom and sat down. She dug around in her bag for a pencil and then began tapping it against the side of her desk waiting for class to start and the test to be passed out.  
  
She watched people file into the room. It had been a whole three months since school had started and she started at High School for her freshman year, and she still didn't know the names of most of the people in her classes.  
  
She kept tapping her pencil against the side of her desk as she tried to remember some of their names. After a while, began to stare off into outer space. She didn't even notice when her best friend, Josh, walked up next to her.  
  
"Hi!" He said. Daricio jumped.  
  
"Oh, Hi." She said. "how are you?"  
  
"Doing okay. How about you? You're sure jumpy today. Anything wrong?" He asked her.  
  
"Oh, I'm fine.... It's just..." Daricio searched for the right words to tell him what had been happening without telling him about the stuff that had happened with her tins.  
  
"Never mind." Josh said, seeing that it was hard for her to explain. "Guess what I did this weekend?"  
  
They talked about stuff until the teacher, Mr Glock, called the class to attention and Josh had to go sit down.  
  
"Today, is the Unit Four Test! It is mostly going to be about quadratic equations and imaginary numbers which, as you know, we have been studying for the past couple of weeks." Mr. Glock said enthusiasticly. He was always a very optimistic person.  
  
"There are to be no notes on this test, and no hats are to be worn so I can see your eyes... Not that any of you will CHEAT of course...." He looked over at a couple of kids who were joking around in the back of the room. "Right?" He asked directing the question at them.  
  
"Huh? Oh, yeah right." One of them said. He straightened up in his seat.  
  
Mr. Glock passed out the tests. A nervous silence enveloped the room. Daricio felt confident that she could figure these out. They were fairly simple to her, and she was good at taking tests. She stared at her paper and began to work on the first problem. She tried to consentrate, but for some reason, she was feeling really confused. Suddenly she heard a voice that seemed to echo throughout the room.  
  
"This is confusing" The person said. Daricio looked around quickly to spot the person who would dare disrupt the silence of a test. Nobody else was looking around; they were all consentrating on their tests. How could they not have heard that voice? Not even Mr. Glock appeared to have noticed.  
  
Daricio shrugged, then went back to her test. She must be hearing things...  
  
At the end of math, Daricio went to her locker. She flipped the combination lock to the numbers of her combo, then tried to open it. It didn't budge. She twisted the lock and tried again. It still didn't move. She thought the numbers in her head as she flipped the lock one more time. She tried and she tried, but it didn't work.  
  
Had she forgotten her locker combo? No, how could she have? She knew the numbers. 55-92-57. (Note: random numbers have been inserted here. This is not a real combo.) Why didn't the combo work? Wait. 55-92-57 wasn't her locker combo...... She spun the lock to the correct combo and opened it up.  
  
That was weird. Why had she thought that those numbers were her locker combo? She didn't use those numbers for anything else, so how could she have gotten them mixed up with her combo? And who had been speaking in math class during the test?  
  
She shook her head. This was too confusing to think about and she was already late getting upstairs to trade Yu-Gi-Oh cards.  
  
She grabbed her lunch and her tin of cards, (She only takes one tin to school, the rest she leaves at home) and headed up the stairs.  
  
Everyone in the group was already dueling and trading. She looked around for people she knew. The only ones she did know were involved in a duel. She sat down at the edge of the group to watch the duel while she ate her lunch.  
  
**************************************************************************** ***  
  
Yugi walked down the hall towards his locker. When he got there, Tristan was waiting there for him.  
  
"Hey, Tristan" Yugi said, sounding really tired.  
  
"Hey, Yugi. What's going on? What happened at that duel?" Tristan was worried.  
  
"Didn't Joey tell you?" Yugi asked.  
  
"Well, uh.....no....I don't think so...... I mean...... He was telling me something at that food place last night, but I wasn't really paying attention." Tristan replied.  
  
"Oh. Well, I'll tell you about it later. I don't want to talk about it right now." Yugi replied  
  
"Ok. Hey, watch out for Bakura today. He was really upset when you dissappeared, but when he saw you in class today, he looked like he was about to freak! I know that's totally NOT like Bakura at all, but that's what he looked like." Tristan warned him.  
  
"Uh, thanks for telling me...... I think...." Yugi said, suddenly remembering the episode he had watched in Darico's room.  
  
"Hey, no problem. I gotta go eat something now, I'm, like, totally starving!!!!" Tristan ran off toards the lunchroom.  
  
Yugi turned to his locker and twisted the combination lock. //Let's see. I hate having to remember this combo.// Yugi complained silently. //Ok, um..... 55........92.......57..... There!// The locker opened. Yugi dumped a bunch of books inside and pulled out his lunch.  
  
//Yugi, maybe you should eat somewhere private today instead of in the lunchroom. That way you're less likely to get noticed by Bakura.// Yami suggested.  
  
//Good idea.// He headed for the school door so he could eat outside.  
  
**************************************************************************** **  
  
Daricio watched the duel silently. She didn't like to get herself noticed in these groups. She was the only girl there that was into the game more than just collecting "cutey" cards that everyone else gave away.  
  
She stepped away from the group slightly and went over to a corner. Then she took out her tin (being very careful not to hit the square) and took out her deck to look through it.  
  
As she put the lid back on the tin, however, she hit a square on the other side of the tin that she hadn't seen before. Suddenly the Dark Magicain in the background of the tin began to glow. Then it popped out!!!  
  
As Daricio stared at it, it began to look around, slightly confused. Daricio quickly tried to hide it from the sight of everyone else in the room.  
  
Before she could, though, it spotted one of the kids. It lifted it's staff and a protion of the room went opposite colors.  
  
After about two seconds, the room changed back to normal, but a lot of the kids in the room looked slightly dazed.  
  
Daricio gasped and hit the Dark Magicain's square again, causing it to dissappear, once again, back into the tin.  
  
"Hey, you!" A voice shouted. Daricio looked up. A tall boy was staring at her. "Do you actually have enough cards to duel?"  
  
Daricio nodded and held up her deck slightly.  
  
"Come duel me!" He called. Daricio walked over and agreed to the duel. After shuffling her deck and placing it on the field, the boy asked her name.  
  
"I'm Daricio. Who are you?" She said politely.  
  
"I'm Chris. And I'm going to blow you away in this duel!" Chris grinned and drew his hand.  
  
Someone from the crowd commented, "Aw, you just want to duel the GIRL because you got totally creamed in your last duel and you want someone easy to cream."  
  
Daricio went slightly red in the face. She'd show HIM who was weak and easy to cream.  
  
The duel continued, and after about 10 minutes, it ended. Daricio had won. She began to gather up her cards and put them away, when Chris stood up quickly and knocked them all to the floor.  
  
"Hey!" Daricio yelled. "What was that for?"  
  
"This is a total embarrasment! I got beaten by a GIRL!!!!!" He ranted and raved. He was really mad. "You. Me. Fight. After school!" He yelled, then he stomped away towards his class leaving Darico to pick up her cards.  
  
"Whoa!" Someone commented. "You're in trouble, now! Chris may be easy to cream in a duel, but he's a top fighter!"  
  
Daricio was shocked. She had never gotten into a fight before, and especially not over losing a duel! What was she going to do?  
  
**************************************************************************** *  
  
Yugi walked over towards a bench that was partially hidden behind a bush and sat down. He took out his lunch, but somehow, he just didn't feel like eating. He took out his deck and began to look through it.  
  
He stopped at his favorite card, the Dark Magicain and began staring at it. It had gotten him out of several tight spaces before, and he didn't think it would ever fail him.  
  
He was just about to flip through his deck again, when the Dark Magician dissappeared!  
  
"Wha? Huh? My....Dark...." He quickly looked throughout his deck searching for the card. It was nowhere to be found. He looked everywhere including the ground around him.  
  
He sighed and then then stared at his deck in his hand.  
  
//What just happened?// He wondered. Just as suddenly as it had disappeared, the Dark Magicain reappeared on the top of his deck!  
  
"Wha?......." He stared at it for a while. He ate his luch, still staring at the card, afraid that it would dissappear again.  
  
//Yugi, relax. I have no clue what happened either, but think about it. Daricio can make people from our world disappear, right? If she can do that, she can probably make the duel monsters disappear too. It probably went to Daricio's room, then back.// Yami tried to calm him down.  
  
//You're right// Yugi sighed. //But, this is not something that happens every day, that's for sure.//  
  
He finished his lunch, then started back towards the school. Bakura was standing at the door.  
  
"Uh......hi....Bakura......" Yugi said.  
  
"Great move yesterday, Yugi." Bakura said sarcasticly. He mimicked Yugi. "i play this card face down, and then I'll dissappear. Yeah, great move! You went and worried everyone, and for what? So that you wouldn't have to duel me! You may have been brave and all back at duelist Kingdom, but face it! You're a coward, Yugi!"  
  
He turned and walked into the school building. Over his shoulder he called, "Meet me after school, Yugi, and we'll settle this!"  
  
Yugi was shocked. He had never gotten into a fight at school before!  
  
//Bakura thinks I did that on purpose just to not duel him?// Yugi was very sad.  
  
//Don't...I mean.....Well....// Yami was at a loss of words, for once. //Are you going to fight him?//  
  
//Of course not! I'll just explain to him what happened, then......then.....//Yugi sighed. //Then he'll think I'm nuts.//  
  
He walked slowly into the building.  
  
//I don't want to fight him......I've never fought anyone before.........But, I may have to.......//Yugi sighed.  
  
****************************************************************************  
  
Is this still confusing? if it is, tell me and I shall elaborate further. Also, as always, any ideas are appreciated.  
  
--Daricio 


	10. The Fights

Hey All!!!!!!!  
  
I'm doing something different in this chapter. Before, I made it so that the only people who's thinking you could hear was Yugi's and Yami's and I made it so that all of Daricio's thinking was part of the narrative. (Or whatever that word is) Now, I'm going to let people see Daricio's thinking too....  
  
Anyways, Here's the new chapter for everyone who's been waiting for it!!!!!  
  
**************************************************************************** **  
  
Daricio was just barely able to get through her last classes of the day. All she could think about was what she was going to have to do after school.  
  
// What AM I going to do? I can't fight him, or I'll get totally beaten to a pulp! I can't NOT fight him, because everyone will think I'm a coward!// Daricio was very nervous.  
  
"Ok, class! Today we are going to start a new project!" The teacher of her Social Studies class, Mr. Allen, called out.  
  
//Great. This is really going to help my ability to concentrate.// Daricio thought bitterly.  
  
"Don't worry about it! It'll be fine!" Josh said to her without looking up. He sat next to her in social studies.  
  
"I'm not really worried about the project..... It's just that, at lunch,..." Darico whispered.  
  
" The project will be a persuasive essay!" Mr. Allen continued. "For the rest of this week, you will be doing research on the library's computers, then you will have to make up an outline. After that, you will have to create a rough draft, and two weeks from now, each of you will give a presentation."  
  
Josh turned to Daricio. "Did you say something to me?" He started. Mr. Allen continued talking again. He rambled on and on about the essay, then he led everyone to the library's computer lab to do research.  
  
Josh found a seat next to Daricio. "What did you say back there? I didn't hear you."  
  
"I was just replying to you telling me that it'll be fine......Never mind." Daricio said, turning to her research again.  
  
"I didn't say anything about 'it'll be fine' " Josh said, sounding confused.  
  
"Hmmm..... Well, I must have been hearing things." Daricio was confused too. "Say, did you hear anyone call out during the test in math?"  
  
"No.....Did you?" Josh asked.  
  
"Yeah....... It was weird.....I must be going nuts..." Daricio sighed.  
  
Josh laughed. "Ah, but we already knew that." He teased.  
  
" Oh, be quiet. This is serious. Do you know what happened at lunch?' Darico asked.  
  
"No, but something tells me that you're going to tell me." Josh said.  
  
"Well, --"  
  
"Hey! Start working on your research, you two!" Mr. Allen called sternly. Several people in the class giggled. Darico blushed slightly.  
  
"Sorry..." she and Josh muttered, then they turned back to their research.  
  
//What is going on?// She wondered.  
  
**************************************************************************** ****  
  
Yugi was just barely able to get through the last classes of the day. All he could think about was what he was going to have to do after school.  
  
// What AM I going to do? I can't fight him, or I'll get beaten to a pulp! I can't NOT fight him, or everyone will think I'm a coward!//  
  
//Don't worry about it! It'll be fine!// Yami tried to reassure him.  
  
//What do you mean?// Yugi asked. //I didn't say anything....//  
  
//Uh..... But didn't you just?.....uh...... // Yami was really confused.  
  
// Yami, why did you say all that? That's not usually stuff that you say......// Yugi was confused too.  
  
//What do you mean, that's not what I usually say?.... I was just trying to reassure you......// Yami said.  
  
//Not that..... I meant what you said before that........// Yugi told him.  
  
//What I said.... Before that?..... I didn't say anything before that.....// Yami said.  
  
"Since all of you did SO well on your persuasive essay presentations last week, today, you all get free time!" Yugi's Social Studies teacher said joyfully.  
  
//We didn't have presentations last week...// Yugi thought. //But, hey.... If we can get free time, cool.// His social sutdies teacher was always kind of a ditz.  
  
//What just happened, Yugi? Who said that?// Yami was still confused.  
  
//I have NO clue, Yami. But we'll find out!!!// Yugi said determinedly. He logged onto the computer in the classroom.  
  
**************************************************************************** *  
  
After school. It was time. Daricio didn't know what she was going to do. Would she run? Would she fight?  
  
//What am I going to do?// she wondered.  
  
She could see Chris and a bunch of other kids waiting for her outside to see if she would show up.  
  
//Maybe if I just talk to him, I can get away from this without fighting...// Daricio thought as she walked towards him.  
  
"Hey, Daricio!" Chris called angrily. "Get over here so I can teach you a lesson!"  
  
Darico gulped.  
  
//This isn't going quite the way I planned.// She thought nervously.  
  
She tried to look confident as she continued walking closer. A semi-large crowd had already gathered and it was getting larger as more people came out of the building.  
  
"Chris, Why do we have to fight?" Daricio asked.  
  
"Because you beat me! And no GIRL is supposed to beat me! And now I'm going to teach you that THE HARD WAY!!!!"  
  
"That's a stupid reason. Just because I beat you in a duel. I won't fight you, Chris."  
  
"You Wimp! You just don't want to fight me because you know I'll beat you!"  
  
"No! Not at all! It's just that there's no reason.."  
  
"Quit your yabbering, you coward! Fight!"  
  
"No! I won't!"  
  
"Figures. The weak, insignificant GIRL doesn't want to fight!"  
  
Many people in the crowd laughed.  
  
"No, I..."  
  
"So you DO want to fight?"  
  
"No! It's just.."  
  
"Wimp! Coward! Weakling!" Chris continued to throw insults at Daricio. Daricio was getting redder and redder.  
  
"Stop it!" she cried out.  
  
"You're just a sissy girl!" Chris taunted her.  
  
That pushed her over the edge. She stepped towards Chris and....  
  
**************************************************************************** *  
  
After school. It was time. Yugi didn't know what he was going to do. Would he Run? Would he fight?  
  
//What am I going to do?// He wondered.  
  
He could see Bakura and a bunch of other kids waiting for him outside to see if he would show up.  
  
//Maybe I can just talk to him, then I won't have to fight him.// Yugi thought.  
  
Just then Bakura spotted him standing by the door to the school. "Yugi, get over here!"  
  
Yugi gulped.  
  
//Or, maybe not.....// He thought nervously.  
  
//Don't worry about it..... This will turn out OK....I hope...//Yami tied to comfort him.  
  
Yugi tried to look confident as he continued walking closer. There was a semi-large group already gathered and it was getting larger as more people came out of the building.  
  
"Bakura, Let me explain!" Yugi started.  
  
"Explain what? That you ran away? I knew that already. We all knew that already." Bakura sneered.  
  
Yugi could see that Bakura wasn't being his "normal"self. This had to be Evil Bakura.  
  
"I don't want to fight you, Bakura!" Yugi cried.  
  
"Hmp... Just like you, Yugi. You never want to fight. But we all know why. It's because you're too scared to."  
  
The crowd laughed. Yugi's face turned slightly red.  
  
"That's not true! I just..."  
  
Bakura turned away. "Never mind. I guess it's a hopeless case. You won't even duel me, much less fight me."  
  
"But.....Bakura!"  
  
"Oh, so you will fight?" Bakura turned back to Yugi.  
  
"No, but.."  
  
"Really? Coward."  
  
"No! It's just..."  
  
"It's just that you're a weakling. You can't fight. Wimp." Bakura continued to throw insults at Yugi.  
  
"Stop it!" Yugi cried out. He was on the verge of tears.  
  
//Yugi, just igrore this! He doen't mean it! He..// Yami quickly tried to get Yugi to calm down.  
  
Bakura turned to the crowd. "You know, he probably fights like a girl, too!"  
  
Suddenly, without warning, Yugi stepped toward Bakura and.....  
  
**************************************************************************** ***  
  
At the exact same time, both Daricio and Yugi stepped forward and punched their opponent. Both Chris and Bakura collapsed on the ground, and then Daricio and Yugi both turned and ran towards their homes.  
  
**************************************************************************** ***  
  
Daricio stood next to her bed thinking in amazement over what she had just done. She had hit someone. She had hit Chris.  
  
//What is everyone going to think? What are my parents and my brothers and sister going to think? What am I going to do now?//  
  
Suddenly she thought of another person.  
  
//What will Yugi think?//  
  
She flopped onto the bed and sighed.  
  
// Why did I do that? That was really stupid. I shouldn't have gotten so mad about what he had said.// She thought.  
  
//Oh, what am I going to do?//  
  
**************************************************************************** ***  
  
Yugi stood next to his bed thinking in amazement over what he had just done. He had hit someone. He had hit Bakura. Bakura was his friend!  
  
//Why did I do that?// he thought to himself. //What is everyone going to think? What is Grandpa going to think? And Tea, Joey and Tristan?//  
  
//I don't know what everyone else is going to think, but I know what I'M thinking.//Yami told him. //I'm thinking that that was really stupid. Why DID you do that?//  
  
//I.....Don't know.....I wasn't even thinking about that....I was trying to figure out how I was going to get away...... It was as if someone else had done it....// Yugi tried to explain.  
  
//Hmmm.... Maybe this is connected to you not being able to sleep and the both of us hearing that voice today.....// Yami thought.  
  
//Maybe..... I just don't know any more.... Everything had gotten so confusing..... I just don't know what to think....// Yugi sighed and flopped down onto his bed.  
  
//What am I going to do now, Yami?//  
  
**************************************************************************** ****  
  
Need........... More.............. Ideas...................... AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHH!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! !  
  
( This is what's known as: *scary evil voice* Writers Block.)  
  
HEEEEEEEEEEELP!!!!!!!!!!!! 


	11. Figuring It Out

Hey everybody!!!!!  
  
Thanks for the reviews!!!!!!! Thanks all for Ideas!!!!!!!! My writers block hath been vanquished!!!!!!!!! (For those of you who do not read Shakespeare, (We're reading " The Tragety of Romeo and Juliet" in my English class) That last sentance means: My writers block is gone!!!!!!!!)  
  
Today, I am hyper, so forgive me for any confusion or randomness in this story.  
  
( Special thanks to: Caterfree10 and Yami Mojobubbles for all of the encouraging reviews! You guys are great!!!!!)  
  
Anyways, On with the fic!!!!!!!  
  
**************************************************************************** *****  
  
Daricio was very upset about all that had happened. She really needed someone to talk to. Someone who would actually understand. Someone who likes just about everyone. Someone who cares about what people are thinking. Someone like..... Yugi.  
  
Daricio sighed. //I wonder what Yugi would be feeling if he was in this situation.// She thought idly. // I mean, on the show, it sort of shows what he's thinking, but not much. I wonder what he usually thinks about.//  
  
She sighed again.//But, in order to find that out, I would have to be able to explore his mind, like Shadi.....//  
  
Daricio thought about that for a second before deciding that she really didn't want to be like Shadi. He was too weird.  
  
//Ok, I really need to talk to Yugi now.....Before I get so off topic that I forget...// Daricio pulled down her stack of tins from their hiding place and grabbed Yugi's tin.  
  
She pressed the square and Yugi popped out. He looked around quickly, then he sighed.  
  
"You really need to find some way to warn me before you do that." He said, looking up at Daricio.  
  
"Sorry Yugi." Daricio said. "it's just that, I've been having a kind of a bad day, and i needed someone to talk to about it."  
  
Yugi sighed and sat down on the edge of the tin. "Same here."  
  
Daricio was slightly suprised. //Yugi had a bad day too?//  
  
"What happened in your day?" She asked, curious suddenly.  
  
"Well, first of all, last night, I didn't get to bed till about 12:30 AM." Yugi started out.  
  
//Strange.... Me too.// Daricio realized.  
  
"Then, at school, everyone was staring at me because the newspaper said that I disappeared."  
  
"Er...Yeah....Sorry about that...."Daricio muttered, looking at the floor.  
  
"That's Ok...... Anyway, then during math, we had these REALLY hard equations that we were supposed to figure out.... THEN....." Yugi told Daricio about his day.  
  
//Wow.....// Daricio commented to herself after he told her about being challenged to the fight. //He could almost be describing MY day.//  
  
Yugi continued talking. He was in tears by now. Then he got to the part about the fight.  
  
"Bakura just kept insulting me, and everyone was laughing...." Yugi covered his face with his hands. " And Then...... Then......."  
  
"What?" Daricio asked gently.  
  
"I hit him....." Yugi whispered, peeking at Daricio through his fingers. "I.......don't know why......but I hit him, and ran home...."  
  
Thats when it clicked in Daricio's mind. She saw the only possible reason there would be for them to be doing the exact same thing.  
  
//A bond......A mental link!!!!! Like what Yugi has with Yami!!!! I have a link with Yugi!!!!!// Daricio was very excited, but she held it inside and tried to comfot Yugi and make him feel better. Even as she did so, her mind was racing.  
  
//Should I tell Yugi about this? I don't know if it will make him feel better or not...// Daricio pondered over it.  
  
Then she thought of a very good reason not to tell him. //If we have a link,.....That means I can explore his mind!!!!!! I just got the wish I had been thinking about before I brought Yugi over here!!!! But people act differently when they know that they're being watched, so the best way to really know what Yugi's thinking, is to not let him know I can even get there!//  
  
Daricio was definetly very excited by now. // But I'll have to do that later.... For now, I need to figure out how to make Yugi feel better! He definetly made me feel better!!!// She thought hard..... Then she remembered.  
  
"It's Ok, Yugi..... I'm sorry you had such a rotten day......" Daricio looked down at him and saw that he was no longer crying, but still looked sad and confused. "But guess what I found last night?" Yugi's expression grew even more confused.  
  
Daricio turned and picked something off the desk and held it up for Yugi to see. It was his jacket.  
  
"Hey! That's mine! Where did you get it?" Yugi's expression turned from confused to slightly amused and relieved.  
  
"It was on my bed last night. Here." Daricio held it out to him and Yugi took it.  
  
"Thanks." He said, pulling it on.  
  
"No problem.... But, how did it get on my bed?" Daricio asked with a small smile.  
  
"Er......um.......I have no clue?" Yugi wasn't a very good liar. Daricio chuckled.  
  
"Right....." She said. "Did talking to me help you feel any better, Yugi?"  
  
"A little....... Although, I still have to tell Grandpa and the others what happened." He looked a little depressed again. Then he looked up at her. "But, now that I know that people won't get mad at me, now I think it'll be easier to tell them.... Thanks, Daricio."  
  
"You're welcome..... I'm glad you feel better...... I guess you need to go, though....huh?" Daricio asked him.  
  
"Yeah.... I do........I guess I'll see ya later..." Yugi said.  
  
"Ok, bye!" Daricio pressed the square and Yugi disappeared again.  
  
Daricio grinned. Now it was time for her to test her theory. She put her tins away and lay down on her bed.  
  
//Ok, the best way to search your mind is to be able to "explore" and "walk around in" your mind like Yugi can........// She thought for a second.  
  
//How does one go about learning how to walk in their minds? What is that like? I should have asked Yugi.....// She tried to picture herself in a room.  
  
//This isn't quite working, obviously.....// Daricio thought hard. She consentrated as hard as she could on that image of herself in a room. then she realized.  
  
//Oh.... I don't need to picture myself in a room.... I need to imagine what the room is like.// She pictured the room itself. she let her mind wander and let herself create this room.  
  
After a while, she realized that she could see this room and walk around in it just as well as if she was in a real room!  
  
"Ok, now this is cool! So this is how you multi-task...." She thought. In her mind she waved her arms around, faintly aware that her body wasn't doing the same thing. She made her real fingers start tapping on the side of the bed, while still waving her arms around in her room.  
  
"Interesting." She thought. "I'm doing two things at once..... This is confusing.... How does Yugi keep track of what he does?"  
  
Then she noticed that the floor of her room was covered with sheets of paper. Curious, she stopped tapping her fingers and waving her arms and she picked one up and read it. It read: "This is confusing.... How does Yugi keep track of what he does?"  
  
She realized that the papers represented her thoughts. She began to pick them up and organize them into stacks.  
  
Suddenly she found one that had something really nasty written on it that she had been trying to forget for a while. She frowned at the words, then she realized what she could do with it. she looked around for a trash can. When she found one, she threw the paper away. She grinned. This was definetly cool.  
  
//Now why does Yugi get toys in his room, and all I get are messy papers?// She wondered to herself as she cleaned. Suddenly, all of the papers turned into toys with different things written on them! Daricio stared, wondering what had happened.  
  
Suddenly she understood. Not only was this her soul room, this was also her imagination.  
  
//I can make anything happen in here that I want! And Yugi can probably do that in his soul room too!// Daricio grinned again and continued exploring.  
  
After a long time of organizing and exploring, Daricio, (outside her soul room) looked up at the clock. She had been laying there for hours and her back was hurting. It was also dinnertime. She headed downstairs.  
  
While she ate dinner, she was also still exploring. She was so absorbed in doing that, she didn't even notice when her Mother asked how her day went. DVD had to nudge her before she did notice.  
  
"Hmm? What?" Daricio asked.  
  
"How was your day?" Mom asked.  
  
"Oh.... It was very interesting THAT'S for sure..."  
  
**************************************************************************** ***  
  
Again, sorry for all who are now totally confused about what's going on....... How do you properly explain how to explore your soul room? It's totally weird.....  
  
(Note: I may be explaining how to do it in my story, but I have yet to really find my soul room....Darn....)  
  
Anyways, Please review!!! The next chapter will come out soon, this is going to be so fun writing it!!!!!!  
  
--Daricio 


	12. Yugi's Soul Room

Hey All!

Ok, so now Yugi is keeping a secret from Daricio. He can get to her room whenever he wants. Daricio is hiding a secret from Yugi. She can get to his mind whenever she wants. (As soon as she finds that link of course.) is this confusing or what?

(Yet another note to Yami Mojobubbles: (For anyone else who reads this little not, if you want to know what in the world I'm talking about here, Just read my reviews, then, for good measure, review yourself!) Anyways, To Mojobubbles: (Hi- fives back) Yeah! (end of note to Mojobubbles. All of the other readers may continue in their weirdness)

(continues in her weirdness) I love writing this fic! It's SO fun! I hope you enjoy reading it as much as I enjoy writing it! Here's the latest part of this confusing, enjoyable, crazy fic!

NOTE: (3/11/05) I reposted this chapter, and chapter 16 because I was filling plotholes, so if things look different, blame Quickedit. Thoughts are in italics now for this chappie and that chappie.

* * *

+Daricio's Mom+ 

Daricio was unusually quiet throughout dinner. She ate without saying a word or even listening to what anyone else was saying. To Mom, that meant only one thing. Something was wrong.

"Daricio, Why are you so quiet tonight?" She asked.

"Huh? What?" Daricio looked up from her dinner with a slightly lost look on her face.

"What's up?" Mom asked.

"Oh, nothing. I'm fine. It's just…..I guess I don't feel well." Daricio looked down.

Mom looked at Dad. They both nodded. Mom looked back at Daricio. "Maybe you should go lie down for a while."

Daricio sighed and got up. She put her plate on the counter, then started down the hallway. Then she headed up the stairs.

Shells looked at DVD. Silently they both agreed. Something was up with Daricio, and they were going to figure out what.

As Daricio headed up the stairs, she realized that what she had said to her mom about not feeling well was slightly true. She was really tired.

_Mental note to self. Never explore in soul room for more than an hour at a time without getting up and moving around occasionally. This is exhausting. How can Yugi deal with this?_Daricio thought tiredly.

She went into her room and got into bed. She stretched from side to side trying to get the pain from her back. Then she lay down and closed her eyes. Outwardly, it may have looked like she had gone to sleep, but she was far from it.

She was exploring in her soul room again. But this time, instead of organizing and redecorating her soul room in a way she would never have been able to decorate a real room, she was searching for the link with Yugi.

_Where could that link be at?_She wondered, then sighed as she watched another toy appear on the floor. _And why is it that when these toys appear, they can't appear on a shelf?_

She picked up the toy, placed it on a shelf, then continued searching for the link. After searching for a long time, she came upon a thick cord wire that led off into the distance.

_This must be it._She thought. _The link. At the other end of this is Yugi's mind. All I have to do now is follow it._

She thought for a moment. _Maybe I should do something so that Yugi can't find me when I get over there. Time to use my imagination._

She concentrated hard and suddenly, she turned invisible.

_That'll work_. Daricio grinned. She walked next to the wire, peering ahead into the distance.

After about 10 minutes, she had the faint feeling that if she went on any further, she wouldn't be able to do anything with her body. She would be crossing into someone else's.

Daricio shivered. She wanted to go on, but she hesitated.

_If I move on, what will happen to me? Will I be able to remain invisible? Will I be able to make stuff happen like I can in my mind?_ She looked behind her and sighed. _And will these stupid toys stop appearing everywhere?_

The toys shuddered and turned into tiny slips of paper that were barely noticeable. Daricio blinked. She had momentarily forgotten she could do that.

She concentrated again, and the slips of paper fluttered away toward the shelves. She made a silent command to her mind that any other thoughts she had would appear on the shelf and not next to her.

_Finally. I am free from the evil thought things of doom._ Daricio grinned and continued along the wire.

She had only walked for ward a few steps, when a hard feeling hit her.

She felt like she was walking through the coldest of all cold blizzards and that the room was closing in on her. It was the feeling of…not feeling. It was a complete absence of feeling.

A few seconds later, just as she began to feel claustrophobic, the cold and the weight completely disappeared, and she felt an almost indescribable feeling that she had never felt before, and somehow felt that she had.

Daricio tried to think about how to describe this feeling, but it was so powerful, that the best description she could give, was that is must be the warmest, most enjoyable feeling in the world. It was like making a new friend. Like being able to feel the sun from both sides. This was the ultimate, overpowering sensation of friendship and good will. This…was Yugi.

_Wow. I knew that Yugi was a great person, but I didn't really understand just how great! He really does care about everyone! He's just……_She was at a total loss of words. _This is cool._ She concluded.

It took her a while, but she was finally able to collect herself and continue down the wire.

As she walked, she had the faint feeling that if she was in Yugi's soul room, she would be able to see what was happening outside Yugi's body, (Through his eyes of course) An that she might even be able to take control! This is definetly cool. And yet...Kinda freaky.She thought.

She had walked no more than about 5 minutes, when she saw that the wire had led her to a faint outline of a door. She opened it a crack and looked inside. It was Yugi's soul room.

At the moment, Yugi was sitting on his bed looking up at Yami, who was pacing the room. Daricio sensed that outside, yugi was in his room lieing on his bed.

Daricio checked to see that she was still invisible, then she went inside the soul room quickly and shut the door quietly. She watched silently.

"Yami, calm down! It's Ok! It's fine! I'm only grounded for a week, it's not that bad!" Yugi sighed. Yami stopped pacing and looked at him.

"Are you sure? I mean, a week is a long time, and when you have nothing to do, you start to get just a little wild in here." Yami sounded really worried.

"I told you, it's fine! And besides, I wasn't THAT wild in here last time…" Yugi said with a small grin.

"Yes, you were." Yami said. "If turning the room into a bounce house, running around the room in tiny circles, and bouncing off the walls isn't wild, I don't know what is…"

Yugi grinned. "Of course we won't even TALK about what YOU did when you had lots of sugar!"

Yami blushed. "Well, I had never had any before! It's not like you told me EXACTLY how much of your Halloween candy I was allowed to have." Yami sat next to Yugi on the bed.

"Well, I guess you're right. But, still…." Yugi grinned again. "I COULD always tell Daricio what happened…"

"You wouldn't dare…" Yami stared at the floor. Yugi giggled. They didn't notice, but so did Daricio.

"Of course I wouldn't! You know that, Yami." Yugi's grin faltered as he looked back at Yami.

Yami looked up. He still looked slightly depressed. "A whole week." He muttered. "This is NOT going to be fun."

Yugi sighed. "Gosh, Yami. What does it take to get you to cheer up?"

"Uh…" Yami shrugged.

Yugi thought for a moment. Then he snapped his fingers. "I know! How about some hot chocolate?"

Yami looked suspicious. "Hot…..Chocolate?" He asked. "Doesn't chocolate have sugar in it?"

"Well, yeah…. But still…..You can just try some…." Yugi held out his hands and two steaming mugs appeared. "Besides, this isn't real. I don't have any hot chocolate at my house. But we can have this!"

Yugi took a sip of his. "See? It's good!"

Yami accepted the cup and stared at it. "Uh...What does it taste like?"

"Like chocolate. Only...not quite as rich...It's hard to explain,Yami... Just try it!"Yugi encouraged him.

"Well, if you say so, Yugi..." Yami took a big long drink from his mug. His face turned bright red.

"HOTHOTHOTHOTHOTHOTHOTHOTHOTHOTHOTHOTHOTHOTHOT!"

A drinking fountain appeared in the center of the room and Yami stood there drinking water for a long time. When he finished, he turned to Yugi.

"Why didn't you tell me it was so hot?" He demanded.

"Well, I just figured you would know...It is HOT chocolate, you know..."Yugi smiled faintly.

"I have decided I don't like hot chocolate."Yami stated. "I'm going to my room." He went out the door towards his soul room.

Yugi lay on the bed in his soul room and sighed. "Great. Now everyone's mad at me. I didn't mean to..."

He lay there thinking for a while. Then his face brightened. "Well, Daricio's not mad at me...I think...At least she didn't look like she was mad at me..."

_I'm not mad at you, Yugi._ Daricio thought, wishing for a moment that she hadn't promised herself that she wouldn't give away the fact that she was here.

Yugi sighed again, then outside, he looked up at his clock. It was 9:30 and he needed to get to sleep. He rolled over and tried to get some sleep.

Daricio sighed too, but quietly. _I don't want to go yet! I just got here! I wonder what happens to a soul room when you dream..._ She sat on the floor and watched Yugi's sleeping form.

After about 2 minutes, the room began to swirl and shift. When it stopped, Daricio stood up quickly and looked around.

The whole room had transformed. Instead of being a cheerful room with shelves and toys, it was purple and black swirling on seemingly endlessly. Yugi was no longer laying down, but running across the place.

_He must be dreaming._ Daricio realized. _I wonder if Yami has ever gotten woken up from a nightmare Yugi had. This sure looks like a nightmare to me... I wonder what Yugi is running from._

She followed him to find out. after running for a long time, she finally spotted something. He wasn't being chased, he was chasing something else! Daricio ran closer.

_Is that?...The Dark Magician he's chasing?...It is!_ She giggled slightly. Just as Yugi was about to catch the Magician, it disappeared in a poof of smoke. Yugi stopped and looked around. Then he started running in another direction.

Daricio realized that there were tons of Dark Magicians everywhere. Yugi was chasing them, trying to catch them for some reason.

She held out her hands. Popcorn appeared there that only she could see. She sat down again to watch. This was very entertaining.

* * *

+Yugi+ 

Yugi ran and ran, but no matter how fast he did, the Dark Magician always got away from him just before he could grab it. He kept chasing them, one after another.

He was aware that this HAD to be a dream, but still...He HAD to catch them!

He ran on and on. After clearing smoke from a disappeared Dark Magician out of his eyes, he suddenly noticed something white out of the corner of his eye.

He turned to see a Dark Magician advancing on what appeared to be a girl holding...Popcorn?

He ran over to see what was going on. The girl saw him coming. "Yugi!" She screamed. The Dark Magician disappeared with a poof of smoke, and when the smoke cleared, the girl was gone.

Who was THAT?He thought. She seemed so familiar somehow...He shrugged and turned away. As he did so, he spotted another Dark Magician and chased after it.

* * *

+Daricio+ 

_That was close_. Daricio thought, watching as Yugi went after yet another Dark Magician.

She had been so intently watching Yugi, that she hadn't even noticed when she began to turn visible again. One of the many Dark Magicians had noticed her and had went after her. Apperently, they were only afraid of Yugi.

Daricio shivered. _Why did I call out to him? That was stupid. He might have recognized my voice._

She sat back down to watch Yugi chase Dark Magicains again while eating popcorn, but this time, she made absoulutly sure that she remained invisible.

Suddenly, A door appeared in the wall, and Yami stepped in. "Yugi! Yugi!"

The room slowly faded back into it's normal state and Yugi stopped running. He looked at Yami. "Huh? What?"

"Will you keep it down in here? I'm trying to sleep." Yami grumbled.

"Sorry Yami. I can't exactly control what I dream about, now can I?"

"No, you can't." Yami agreed. "But you CAN decide NOT to actually live the dream in your soul room. Remember?"

"Oh, yeah. Sorry Yami." Yugi went over to the bed in his soul room again as Yami shut the door, muttering about a reaccuring Dark Magician chasing dream.

Outside, Yugi looked at the clock again. It was 3:00 AM. He sighed and lay down on the bed.

"That's the third time this week that Yami has had to wake me up from that. But tonight, there was something different." Yugi said to himself. "Who was that girl? Why does she seem so familiar?"

He rolled over again.

Daricio decided that since Yugi was now going to not "live his dream" as Yami had put it, it was going to get boring in here. She went over to the corner of the room where she had come through the door.

She could barely see it. She used her imagination powers to make it so that to her, it would appear solid, but to Yugi, it would remain like this.

When she was certain it had worked, she tried to open it. It wouldn't budge. She pulled harder. It still wouldn't budge.

_Oh, great. Now what? Why can't I get back?_ She pondered for a while. She thought about a ton of different explanations and possible soulutions. She thought and thought. Then a strange thought came to her.

_Ok, that shelf if probable getting absoulutly full of toys...or paper...whatever it happened to be at that point._She giggled slightly. Then she got serious again. _But I'm not going to be able to find out what until I can get through this door!_

She thought for another moment. _Maybe what I need is a physical connection as well when I'm trying to get back. Maybe Yugi needs to be able to see me or be able to touch my skin before I can get back. I need to be able to persuade him... to...get... Oh, wait. I forgot. He can only get there when I bring him there. Ok, now what?_

_

* * *

_+Yugi+_  
_

Yugi was dreaming again. He chased Dark Magicians here and there, but they kept disappearing. Finally, he did something that he hadn't done in any other of these type of dreams. He stopped and sat down. He was tired.

Instead of running to chase the Magicians, he just sat and watched them. They stood a distance off and watched him. One stepped away from the group and gestured for Yugi to come. It wanted him to chase them again.

Yugi shook his head. "No." He whispered.

The group of Dark Magicians stared at him in wonder. Then two of them edged closer to Yugi. Then a little closer. Then they sat next to him, one on either side.

Yugi was amazed. This had definetly never happened before in any of his other dreams. He looked into the faces of the Dark Magicians on either side of him. They were smiling. One of the two spoke to him.

"Have courage, Yugi. You're going to need it for what you need to do next."

"Huh? What do you mean?" Yugi asked, still amazed.

"You will have many adventures. You will have many struggles. And also, many secrets." The other Magician said. "MANY secrets."

"Huh?" Yugi was still confused.

The two Magicians looked at each other and sighed. "He doen't understand, now. But he will." One said to the other.

"Yes, he will." The other replied. They stood up and joined the rest of the group. Yugi stared at them.

"What does that mean?" He asked loudly.

"You will understand." He heard from the direction of the crowd. "But first, someone new must join you. She is already here."

"You mean that girl I saw? But who is she? Where is she?" Yugi ran towards the group to find more answers. They scattered in different directions and soon Yugi was back to what he was doing in the first place. Chasing Dark Magicians.

* * *

Well, I know that that was probably a very confusing part, so now, as the author, I will explain it to you...Sort of. You know how sometimes, people get dreams that tell the future? Well, this is kinda like that...I think... 

I don't think anyone else has had anything told to them by a Dark Magician before, though. In the show, even though he has several chances to, the Dark Magician never talks to Yugi, so I made him talk to Yugi.

(F.Y.I. In this story, Yugi and Daricio are about the same height. Maybe we're the same height in real life, too. I wouldn't know. I've never met him. (cries) Anywhos...Yeah...)

See ya!

Daricio


	13. Telling Yugi And Confusing Yami

Hello again!!!!!!  
  
Uh, oh....Unlucky chapter 13!!!!! What will happen???? Only I know.... *evil cackles fill the room*....  
  
*continues in her weirdness* Now, if my story wasn't confusing before, it definetly is now.... *evil grin* Anyways.......yeah......Can't really think ofanything else to say..................uh......Hello!!!!! (Wait, I said that already...) Um...... Uh...... On with the fic!  
  
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{Shells and DVD}  
  
Shells and DVD met up at the top of the stairs in front of Daricio's room after dinner. They quietly opened the door and went inside. As they did, Shells noticed the clock. It was 9:25.  
  
DVD look at Daricio's bed and noticed that she was asleep. He shook her.  
  
"Daricio? Wake up, we want to ask you something." DVD said.  
  
Daricio didn't move.  
  
DVD turned to Shells. "I guess she really was tired. Oh, well. We'll talk to her tomorrow morning."  
  
They turned and left the room.  
  
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{Daricio}  
  
Daricio spent another hour trying to figure out how to get the door open, but no matter what she tried, nothing worked. She was stuck.  
  
Stuck in Yugi's Soul room. A week ago, this would have been the thing she dreamed of doing the most, but now, all she could think about was what would happen if she couldn't get back by morning.  
  
//If my mom finds me like that, I'll never forgive myself. I probably look like I've slipped into a coma or something.....Oh, man....// Daricio turned back to the door. She gave up trying to be quiet. She had realized that if she was stuck in here, she would have to eventually tell Yugi anyway.  
  
She banged on and pulled at the door. She tried to concentrate on it to make it disappear, but it was invulnerable to anything she did to it. She tried that for a while before finally giving up. There was no way she was going to be able to get through that door.  
  
She decided that the best theory was the one where Yugi had to be touching Daricio's skin, but it was also probably the most hopeless theory.  
  
//Kinda makes me wish I had told Shells or DVD about the tins before I got myself trapped here.// She thought bitterly.  
  
She looked over at Yugi. When he woke up, she would have to tell him. She really didn't want to, but she would have to. Then she got an idea.  
  
//He's not going to wake up for a while. It's about 4:00 now, so he won't get up for another....When does his school stat anyway? I guess i'll find out soon..... Anyways, While he's sleeping, I have direct access to Yami's soul room, which is the puzzle! Exploration time!// Daricio thought excitedly.  
  
She got up, making sure once again that she was invisible, and went over to the door to Yugi's soul room. She opened it and went out into the hallway. There, across from Yugi's room, was that old-looking door that led to Yami's room. She opened it a crack and peered inside.  
  
Yami was nowhere to be seen, but considering all the places he could be in here, that kind of figured. Daricio stepped into the room and looked around. It was even more confusing looking than when she watched Shadi in here!  
  
//Man, if Shadi couldn't figure this out, how am I supposed to?// Daricio thought. She walked over to one of the stairways and began climbing.  
  
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{Yami}  
  
Yami had never really slept that well. Somehow, he was able to remember that even when he had been Pharoah, he hadn't been able to sleep at nights.  
  
He turned over in his bed and stared out the door into the maze of stairs. It was the same view he had had every night ever since Yugi first put together the puzzle and he started being here.  
  
Lately, he had been worried about Yugi. First there was the fact that he hadn't been able to sleep that one night. (And when because of their strong bond, when Yugi couldn't sleep, neither could he) and there was also all these wierd Dark Magician chasing dreams Yugi had been having lately.  
  
Yami was a strong believer in dreams that tell the future, but that was mostly because he didn't actually dream very often. When he did though, it was always about something that had happened that day, or strangely, something that happened the very next day.  
  
But he just could not figure out what THIS dream could possibly mean. Chasing Dark Magicians.  
  
Yami shook his head and turned over again. Maybe this is a sign of Yugi cracking over all this pressure that's been on him constantly ever since all this started happening. But I seriously doubt it.... Yugi's too nice to go nuts.....  
  
Yami turned to face the door again, lost deep in thought.  
  
He spotted movement and sat bolt up in bed. He stared out his door again hoping to see what it was that had startled him. He checked his link with Yugi to see if it might be him, but no, Yugi was asleep.  
  
He got out of bed and stood at the doorway. There! He stared at one of the other doors, and little by little, it swung open, then shut again.  
  
Yami rubbed his eyes. "That did NOT just happen." He muttered to himself. "That could NOT have just happened."  
  
He raced over through the maze of stairs over to the door. He opened it, half expetcing one of his traps. There was nothing in the room, but he left the door open just in case.  
  
He stepped into the room and looked around. All that was in here was a table. Nothing big. It was one of Yami's many extra storage areas.  
  
Suddenly the door behind him slammed. He whirled around and opened it. He looked quickly around and was just in time to see another door close.  
  
Something's going on here.......  
  
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Daricio giggled as she watched Yami race into the room that she had just slammed the door on. This was going to be lots of fun!  
  
When he had first ran into the room that she was exploring in, she had almost screamed, thinking it was one of his raps, but when she saw who it was, she decided to confuse him.  
  
She had exited the room and closed the door. Then she ran up the stairs to a room that she had explored already and opened the door. Then, without going in, she slammed it. Yami had immedietly ran up the stairs and into the room.  
  
Then, suddenly, she frowned. Yugi was waking up. She couldn't say exactly how, but she could sense it. She quickly made her way out of the puzzle and back into Yugi's room. Yugi was sitting up in his bed and staring at the wall.  
  
She went and stood over in a corner of the room. She brushed all the dust off her jeans. She made herself visible and cleared her throat. Yugi, hearing the sound, glanced over.  
  
When he saw her, he gasped. He quickly got out of bed and ran over to her. "You...You...were in my dream...." He said.  
  
Daricio nodded slowly. "darn Dark Magician almost got me too." She said quietly. Yugi gaped at her.  
  
"You mean....You were actually there?" He was amazed. Daricio didn't blame him. She would havebeen amazed too, if she were in his place. She nodded in answerto his question, then looked at the floor.  
  
"I was watching you..... Chasing those guys...." She said softly. Yugi blushed.  
  
"How...How did you get here? And who are you?" Yugi asked.  
  
//He doesn't recognise me! He's used to me being huge! If I tell him some other name, he'll never know!// Daricio realized. //But....I don't want to keep any more secrets from him.//  
  
"I got here....I don't know...I'm not really sure." Daricio said, looking up at him. She looked into his large eyes. "And you know who I am."  
  
Yugi's eyes got wider. "I know you? From where? I......Do I know you from school?"  
  
"Not from school, Yugi." Daricio said, shaking her head. "My name is..."  
  
She was just about to tell him, when Yami barged into the room. "Yugi, there's something goinmg on in here! Someone or something is IN MY SOUL ROOM!!!!!!! AND I CAN'T FIN...." He stopped when he spotted Daricio.  
  
"Who's that?" He demanded.  
  
"That's what I'm trying to figure out." Yugi said. Both he and Yami sat on Yugi's bed and stared at Daricio waiting for her to speak.  
  
Daricio hesitated. //It was hard enough trying to do this with just Yugi! How am I going to be able to tell both of them?//  
  
"umm...Well...I.....uh...." She stammered, looking from one to the other. "Uh...." She turned invisible again, not willing to face both of them. Then she raced to the other side of the room so that they couldn't find her.  
  
She sat down and watched Yugi and Yami staring at the floor where she had been standing. Yami recovered from his shock first.  
  
"Hey! What the? What just? Wha?" He got up from the bed and ran over to the spot she had been standing.  
  
"Yami! She had just been about to tell me who she was, and I think you scared her away!" Yugi cried. "She told me....That I knew her already.......But I don't! The Dark Magician told me that..."  
  
"Dark Magician? Yugi, what are you TALKING about?" Yami stared at him worriedly.  
  
"Well, in my dream, two of the Dark Magicians I was chasing actually talked to me. They told me...That I should have courage...And that in the adventures ahead, I would need to have someone join me....And just before that, I had seen a girl! The girl who was just here!"  
  
"So......We really need to find her again. Hmm..... Maybe if we DO find her, she can help me find out who was in.....wait....... Maybe she WAS the person who was in....... Well, that would explain why she didn't want to talk to me...." Yami shook his head.  
  
//Well, it didn't take him long to figure THAT out...//Daricio thought. //I really shouldn't have gone in there.... I could have triggered something bad.......// She shuddered, not wanting to think about that.  
  
She turned her attention back to Yugi and Yami who were once again sitting on the bed talking.  
  
//Daricio, you are SUCH a coward.//She said to herself. //You should have been able to just tell them, but Noooo....// She sighed quietly.  
  
She watched as Yami left the soul room and went into his own, obviously trying to se if she had gone back in there. Yugi lay down on the bed again and stared at the ceiling.  
  
Daricio used her imagination powers to make two clocks appear on the floor, one showing Yugi's time, and one showing hers. Strangely enough, they showed the exact same time. 5:30. She sighed and made them disappear again.  
  
Her mom would be coming in to scold her for not getting up any minute now.  
  
If she was going to ask Yugi for his help, he would have to do it soon. She made herself visible and slowly stood up.  
  
"Yugi?...I'm sorry." she said softly. Yugi, hearing his name looked up. When he saw her, he sat up in bed and looked at her.  
  
"Where did you go? What happened? Why did you leave?" He asked quickly.  
  
"I, uh..... Well..... You know how you can use your imagination in here, right? To make anything happen?" Daricio asked. Yugi nodded slowly. "Well, I just used mine to make me invisible. That's all..."  
  
"Oh." Yugi said, nodding. "Ok... Why did you turn yourself invisible? Were you in the puzzle earlier?"  
  
Daricio looked at the floor. "Yeah... I...........yeah... Sorry."  
  
"Ok, let's try this again." Yugi said. "Who are you? Why do you say I know you?"  
  
"I say you know me because you do. Just....Not like this." Daricio said carefully. //Come on, just tell him!// She urged herself.  
  
"What do you mean?"Yugi asked, confused.  
  
"I mean.....Well... My name....Is Daricio." She finally told him. Yugi stared at her.  
  
"Daricio? Really? But.....you........You're the same height as me! You can't be Daricio! She's really big! Probably at LEAST as tall as Yami! If not taller!"  
  
Daricio laughed. "It's me." She said. "If nothing else, I thought you would have recognised my voice." She said.  
  
Yugi just kept staring at her. "But.."  
  
" Hey, you want proof? here's proof. Just today, I used a tin box with your picture on it to transport you to my room. You ended up talking to me about your day, which, might I add, included you getting into a fight with Bakura. Need any more proof? I can go on." Daricio stated.  
  
Yugi stared. "Ok, so you're Daricio. How did you get here?"  
  
"Well, when you were talking to me, I realized that what you were describing sounded strangely like MY day. As if we were doing exactly the same things. I realized then that we must have a mental link. Which, we actually do. That's how I got here."  
  
"Why didn't you tell me?" Yugi asked in amazement.  
  
Daricio looked at the floor. "Hey, I've got to be able to have SOME secrets every now and then..." She said.  
  
"secrets....many secrets..." Yugi's face suddenly brightened. "Oh! that's what.....The Dark magician said that I would have many secrets!"  
  
"Uh.....Yugi......that was a dream...." Daricio reminded him.  
  
"Well, yeah, but still...." Then Yugi frowned slightly. "Oh...I guess i've been keeping a secret from you too..."  
  
Daricio thought for a minute before saying, "The jacket in my room?"  
  
"Yeah.... You see, Me and Yami were exploring the puzzle some more, trying to figure out what mysteries it holds and yada yada yada, when we found a small door. Only I was able to fit in it, so Yugi had to wait outside for me. inside was a button. when I pressed it, we were suddenly in your room! Small again, of course..." Yugi said thoughtfully.  
  
"I don't think you really want to know what happened while we were there..." Yami said, stepping into the room from where he had been listening at the door.  
  
He gave Daricio a glance that said "don't go into the puzzle without proper supervision" then he sat next to Yugi on the bed.  
  
Daricio looked at both of them, then sat down on the floor. "Why not?" She asked. "I know you lost your coat on my bed, but that shouldn't be too embarasing of a story."  
  
"It's just that....well.....Ok, here's what happened. when we first appeared, We climbed up onto your bed to get a better view of the room..." Yugi and Yami told her everything that had happened while they were there. Yami blushed slightly when he told her that it had been him that had lost the jacket to a rat.  
  
"And then, you pressed the button, twice of course, and you know the rest....."Yami finished.  
  
Daricio thought for a moment. "So...you now know what Bakura did...." She turned to Yugi. "That's probably why he wanted to duel you, and why he was so mad when you didn't."  
  
Yugi nodded. Then he said, "There's still something I don't quite understand. If you wanted to keep this a secret from me, why did you tell us?"  
  
"Well, that's the other part I didn't tell you yet. you see...I came in through a door over there." She gestured to the wall where it was. "you can barely see it, but it's there. Anyways....For some reason, It's locked now. It won't open. I'm stuck here in your mind, Yugi." She looked down at the floor again.  
  
Yugi tried the door. It wouldn't open for him either. Even Yami tried it, but it wouldn't budge.  
  
Yugi went back over to Daricio. "So, now what?"  
  
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Tired.......So tired........Sorry everyone, but must end chapter....... Back hurts from sitting up ram rod straight in chair all day like yami does..... (I don't know why, But I like doing that...) Anyways, Please review!  
  
--Daricio 


	14. Exploring the Puzzle

Hello again!!!!  
  
Um.........Hello...........  
  
um.........Yeah...................Hi................and............  
  
Yeah.......(Note: Daricio gets a little bit mad in this chappie....)  
  
yeah......... Nothing really to say right now..............uh..........Read the fic!  
  
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{Yugi}  
  
Yugi was sitting on his bed in his soul room. Yami and Daricio were sitting on the floor.  
  
"Well, What are we going to do?" Yugi asked.  
  
"Personally, I don't really see where there is much of a problem..."Yami said. "I mean, sure Daricio's stuck here, but why is that bad? After all, I'M stuck here too....."  
  
"Yeah, but YOU don't have a mother who is going to....to....I don't know WHAT she'd do if she finds her daughter in her room like that..." Daricio said, glaring at Yami. Her face turned slightly red from annoyance.  
  
"Like what?" Yami asked.  
  
"You remember what Seto, Mokuba and Yugi's Grandpa looked like when Pegasus stole their souls, right? And what Yugi looked like when he fainted. That's what I probably look like right now. Soul-less. Only there's a difference. My parents aren't going to know what happened. They are going to be really worried. They are probably going to think I'm dying! How did you feel when you thought Yugi was dead? Huh? HOW DOES THAT FEEL?!?!?" Daricio had stood up and was yelling at Yami.  
  
Yugi and Yami were staring at Daricio.  
  
"I do NOT want my parents to be worried. If that isn't a problem, Yami, I don't know WHAT is." Daricio finished. "I have GOT to get back there."  
  
She turned herself semi-invisible and retreated to a corner. (She was unable to make herself completely invisible because she couldn't concentrate very well.) Yami looked at Yugi.  
  
"SOMEBODY got up on the wrong side of the bed...." He said, trying to lighten the mood and failing. Yugi sighed and went over to Daricio, who was crying.  
  
"What do you think we should do? I mean, obviously you wouldn't have told us all of this if you didn't think we would be able to do anything about it." He said softly.  
  
Daricio looked up at him with tears in her eyes. "I don't know. I just don't know. I had thought that....But it wouldn't work because we can't get to my...." Suddenly her face brightened. "Oh, right! My theory! I can test it out now!"  
  
"Theory?" Yugi asked. He looked over at Yami who was staring at the floor looking depressed. "What theory?"  
  
"Before I told you about all that, I had a theory that in order for me to get back, our bond would have to be stronger! Like, you touching my skin or being able to see me or something like that.  
  
"I had given up on it because I had thought there was just no way for you to get to my room, but now I know you can! Let's go find that room you were talking about!" Daricio stood and went towards the door, Yugi following her.  
  
Yami looked up at her and noticed where she was headed. "Oh, no. You are NOT going in there without me..."  
  
Daricio gave him a glare and he fell silent. He followed her and Yugi into the puzzle anyway.  
  
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{Shells}  
  
Shells awoke the next morning to screaming and crying. Her mom was trying to do something on Daricio's bed above her. She looked up at the clock. It was 5:45 AM. She got out of bed.  
  
"Mom? What happened? What's going on?" She asked sleepily.  
  
"Daricio!" Mom sobbed. "There's something wrong with Daricio!"  
  
"I could have told her that..." Shells muttered. She climbed up onto Daricio's bed. It appeared as if Daricio were asleep. She shook her hard.  
  
Daricio didn't move.  
  
"See what I mean? She apparently went to bed in her clothes last night, and she normally gets up right away! I think...I think....I'm calling the hospital!" Mom ran from the room towards the phone.  
  
Shells looked back at Daricio's motionless form. "What's going on?"  
  
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{Yami}  
  
Daricio and Yugi were far ahead of Yami, racing through the puzzle. Yami had no idea where they were headed, but he was NOT going to let anything happen to either of them.  
  
Yugi was his best friend, like a little brother to him almost, and Daricio....Well, Daricio had to play some part in his destiny if Yugi's dream was right.  
  
Yami sighed as Yugi and Daricio disappeared around a corner. He ran to catch up to them.  
  
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{Daricio}  
  
"So where is this door, Yugi?" Daricio asked as they climbed another set of stairs.  
  
Yugi looked around him. "uh.......I don't remember...." He turned around to ask Yami, who was just turning around the corner, and almost ran into him.  
  
"Sorry, Yami. Do you remember where that door was?" Yugi asked.  
  
"Which one?" Yami asked. "The little one I couldn't fit in that transported us to Daricio's room?"  
  
"Yeah, that one." Yugi said.  
  
Yami thought for a moment. Then he shook his head. "There is something strange about that room, Yugi..... I don't remember where it is.... If it's anywhere, it's going to be there, though....I think..." Yami pointed at a room up ahead, but looked confused.  
  
Yugi and Daricio raced towards the room. Daricio opened the door. She looked inside. Immedietly, a Harpie Lady flew, screaming out of it.  
  
"AAAAHH!!" Daricio, Yugi and Yami all yelled, trying to get out of the way. The Harpie Lady flew past them then turned around. It swooped at them again.  
  
They all ducked and the Harpie Lady flew right back into the room. It was preparing to turn around again, when Daricio closed the door.  
  
Two seconds later, the Harpie Lady slammed against it, creating a very large Harpie Lady shaped dent. Everyone sighed.  
  
"Oh, it's THAT door is it? Strange....It doesn't LOOK that way...." Daricio said sarcasticly to Yami. Then she turned to look at him.  
  
He was staring at the floor sadly in a way that made her feel sorry for him. She thought about what she had said, then sighed again. "I'm sorry, Yami. I didn't mean to yell at you. It's just........ I'm very frustrated right now....."  
  
He looked up at her and gave her a weak smile. "I think we have a case of a disappearing room." He said, trying once again to lighten the mood.  
  
He apparently succeded, because Daricio gave a small smile. He liked her smile. "What's next?" He asked. "Do we need Bakura in here to go along with that Harpie Lady?"  
  
Daricio gasped and her smile faded. "May--Maybe......Maybe we will!" She said, remembering.  
  
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{Shells}  
  
When the ambulence showed up, Daricio was placed on a stretcher and raced out to it. Shells was scared. She knew DVD was too, but she didn't think anyone could possibly be as scared at that moment than Mom. She was in hystarics.  
  
Shells climbed quickly into the car after Mom and DVD. They pulled away and followed the ambulence. She sighed as she watched it, knowing her sister was in trouble. The ride to the hospital seemed longer than it was, but it was like an eternity to Shells before they got there.  
  
The ambulence doors opened, and they raced Daricio into the building. Shells, DVD and Mom hurried in afterwards, but they were stopped in the waiting room.  
  
"There's nothing you can do right now. Please wait here and the doctor will figure out what happened." The Nurse kindly explained.  
  
"That's my daughter in there! I can't even be with her?" Mom cried.  
  
"I'm sorry. The doctor will be-"  
  
Shells stepped forward. "What happened to Daricio?" She asked. "What's going on with my sister?"  
  
The Nurse kneeled down and looked Shells in the eyes. "That's what we're trying to figure out now."  
  
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{Daricio}  
  
Yami and Yugi had asked what Daricio meant about her statement, but she didn't want to say anything. "If we get to my room, I'll let you see the episode, but if I try now, I'll probably miss a detail or something." She kept telling them. After a while, they gave up trying to ask her and went back to searching.  
  
The group searched for a full hour before they had to quit. Not that they really wanted to, but Yugi's Grandpa had just come into the room and informed him that it was time for school.  
  
While Yugi concentrated on getting ready from school, Yami and Daricio continued searching.  
  
"What time does Yugi's school start, Yami?" Daricio asked.  
  
"At 7:55" Yami answered, turning to her.  
  
"Hmm...Mine too. What kind of stuff are you guys learning about?" She questioned him.  
  
"What subject?" Yami asked.  
  
"Oh, I don't know....Well, Yugi said that you had to figure out these really hard equations in math, so...What kind of equations?" Daricio inquired.  
  
Yami grimaced. "Quadratic Equations."  
  
"Oh, I had to take a test on those yesterday at school. They're easy." Daricio grinned at the disgusted expression on Yami's face. "I did some reaserch, Yami, and I found out that the Ancient Egyptians knew how to do that kind of stuff. Quadratic Equations, Imaginary numbers, all of it!"  
  
Yami looked away. "I don't remember." He admitted after a moment.  
  
Daricio got quiet. "Sorry."  
  
Yami turned back slightly. "Not your fault." He reassured her. "It's just that....Never mind." He turned away and started up with his explorations again.  
  
Daricio sighed. //How am I going to get myself out of this whole mess?//She asked herself.  
  
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Sorry if it's annoying, but I seem to like ending all of my chapters with that question, or something like it. *grins* Remember, any ideas are very appreciated!  
  
Note: I really did do research on the Ancient Egyptians, and they really did have very advanced mathematics. I found it very interesting, so I put it into my story for all to see!!! ^_^  
  
Also, sorry if this story is getting depressing............It will get better!!!!!!  
  
Until next time! See ya!  
  
--Daricio 


	15. Hospitals and More Combination Confusion

Hey all!!!!!  
  
...Today, I actually had something I was going to say in the chapter heading, but then I reread my brother's fic for him and I forgot it again...darn...  
  
I do remember some parts of what I was going to tell you though.. It's a nice little thank you note. Thanks (Again) To Caterfree10 and Yami Mojobubbles (And Mojobubbles, even though they have changed their pen name to Tenshi Bakaru) For all of the support and encouragement they have shown throughout this fic. Also, thanks for Pruningshears for the detailitory idea for this chappie! And last but (Definitely not least) I thank myself for ALL of the main plot ideas. (Hint, Hint)  
  
Also......Darn it, I had remembered, and now I forgot it AGAIN!!!!!! ... Uh.. Read the Fic, maybe I'll remember it by the end of the chappie...  
  
*********************************************************************  
  
{Shells}  
  
Shells, DVD, Mom, Jrj, and Dad (Whom I have been previously excluding from the story and am now informing you of them... sorry) all waited for hours before the doctor came out of the room again. When he did, they all stood quickly and looked at him expectantly. Upon seeing their faces, he sighed.  
  
"Daricio is...just fine." He told them. The group immediately tried to push past him into the room. He stopped them with a raised hand. "What I meant was, there is absolutely no explanation for her to have fainted...or whatever happened to her. We just can't figure it out. It's a complete mystery. I'm sorry."  
  
He started to turn away, and then told them, "If you want to visit her, which I'm sure you do, she has been taken to room 104 on floor 12." The group thanked him and started towards the elevator.  
  
As Shells walked by, she heard the doctor mutter something. "Only one other case like this ever..." He said quietly, shaking his head.  
  
Trying to figure out what he had meant, Shells followed her family to the elevator. She looked over at DVD. He had the same look of fear and confusion on his face that she felt. It was times like these that made her so sure that she had a link with her brothers and sister.  
  
She shook her head. That was impossible. She tried to return her attention to the situation, but for some reason, that was all she could think about. Realizing this, she focused on remembering the reasons she had collected for them having one.  
  
First of all, it was only with DVD, Shells, and Daricio... Jrj never seemed to be included much. They always seemed to know when something was going on with one another; when they were in need of help. Also, they almost always had a certain sense of what the others need.  
  
She paused in her thoughts as the elevator stopped at the top. She continued her list as she followed everyone to Daricio's room.  
  
They also were able to know what the others were feeling, and often felt the same way. She looked at DVD again and knew that this was happening now, but this probably wasn't because of any link. He looked at her.  
  
"Thinking about that link again?" He asked her quietly.  
  
Oh, and the fact that we can sometimes tell what each other are thinking. Shells nodded to DVD, then returned her attention to where they were walking. They had reached the door to Daricio's room, and they went inside.  
  
Shells and DVD sat down in chairs near the window next to each other so that they could talk.  
  
"I was thinking about the link you say we have too. Last night, we were worried about Daricio. Why? I don't remember so clearly anymore, so it must have just been.a feeling.or maybe it was the link." DVD said to Shells.  
  
Shells nodded slowly. "So?" She asked.  
  
"So, if we could feel THAT, maybe we could feel-" he started to tell her, but he was cut off by Jrj.  
  
"Well... There's nothing really to do in here except stare at Daricio... And I really don't want to go to school thinking about this... So let's see what's on the T.V. in here!" He flipped on the television set in the room and turned down the volume a little so as not to disturb Mom and Dad who were sitting by the side of Daricio's bed.  
  
He began surfing through channels. "Hmm..Hm.. Boring..Hm.. Ah, here we go!" He had turned it to a Yu-Gi-Oh rerun.  
  
DVD and Shells glanced up at the screen and then told Jrj to turn it off. "Now's not the time for it."  
  
Before he did turn it off, they caught a sight of which episode it was. It had been the one where Mokuba's soul had been trapped in a Duel Monster's card. Shells turned back towards DVD and was about to ask him to go on, when she suddenly thought of something.  
  
She turned back towards the blank screen once again and stared at it. Then, slowly, she turned back towards the hospital bed. Mokuba...Unconscious... Soul-less... Daricio... Unconscious... Nah... She turned back towards DVD and asked him to continue with what he had been about to say, but he was also staring at the screen. He turned back to her.  
  
"Strange... I have forgotten what it was I was saying..."  
  
*******************************************************************  
  
{Daricio}  
  
It was now 8:15, so of course Yugi was in school. While he was concentrating on work, though, Yami and Daricio had been exploring. After their first hour of exploring, they had decided to make a small map of the place as they went along.  
  
"Ok, in room 2B, we have absolutely nothing. In room 2C we have a table with flowers on it. In room..." Daricio continued reading off her map to Yami.  
  
"That sounds about right so far." Yami said. "Let's try in here, now"  
  
Daricio gave him a faintly humored look.  
  
"What?" He asked.  
  
"You're having more fun with this than I am." She commented, giggling.  
  
"So?" Yami asked, opening the door. He wasn't paying attention to what he was doing, however, so he barely got out of the way of a bunch of arrows flying towards him. "AHH!!" He dodged quickly and the arrows lodged themselves firmly into the wall behind them.  
  
Daricio looked down at her map. "Strange. I though we looked in that one already." She looked around, then back at her map. "Um... Yami?"  
  
"What?" He asked again, getting up off the ground, slightly annoyed that Daricio hadn't even tried to help him up.  
  
She turned back to him. "Some parts of the puzzle just shifted. Almost all of the doors are in different locations. Does it do this often?"  
  
Yami looked around and found that she was right. "I had never noticed it before, but I guess it could have happened before."  
  
Daricio looked down at her map again. It had not shifted with the puzzle. She sighed and tossed it away. "Not even imagination powers solve this." She commented absently.  
  
Yami sighed too. "Ok, who's going to tell Yugi?" he asked.  
  
"Nobody has to. I know. This is bad. " Yugi commented, coming around a corner. "It's lunchtime, guys."  
  
"Lunchtime?" Daricio looked up quickly. "Already? Man, my parents must be worried sick! Not to mention Shells and DVD! Maybe Jrj, too.."  
  
Yugi and Yami led Daricio back to Yugi's soul room.  
  
"Do you think I'll ever get back home?" She asked quietly.  
  
The other two looked at each other. "We really don't know."  
  
Daricio sighed and sat on Yugi's bed. Yami brought Yugi aside for a moment.  
  
**********************************************************************  
  
{Yugi}  
  
"Yugi? Isn't this Tuesday?" Yami asked.  
  
"Yeah..." Yugi said.  
  
"So... Isn't this the day your schedule gets all messed up?"  
  
"Yeah... Oh, right...I have Math after lunch. Great." Yugi sighed. Suddenly, he looked up. Then he groaned. "And to come and add even more problems to my pile, here comes Bakura!"  
  
Outside, he began looking around for a place to hide. Unfortunately, they were in an empty classroom, therefore, there was none. There were a few other people in the room, but not much.  
  
He quickly sat down in one of the desks and pulled out a book, hoping that Bakura, who was in the halls, wouldn't see him. His wish did not come true, however, and soon Bakura came into the room.  
  
"Yugi." He said softly, trying not to disturb the other students. Yugi looked up. What he saw greatly surprised him. It wasn't Evil Bakura, for one thing, it was normal Bakura. Even more amazing was that he didn't look mad.  
  
"Uh..." Yugi tried to figure out what to say.  
  
"Yugi, I'm sorry about yesterday. I really shouldn't have said all those things. I... Really don't know what came over me..." Bakura looked down at the floor.  
  
"That's ok, Bakura." Yugi said. He also looked at the floor. "And I shouldn't have hit you."  
  
"Still friends?" Bakura asked.  
  
"Still friends." Yugi said, giving Bakura a grin.  
  
"Come on, Yugi!" Tristan called from the door. "Come eat with us! Everyone was wondering where you were yesterday, and you never did tell me what's going on!"  
  
Yugi followed Tristan to the table where Joey and Tea were already seated. Bakura came with him. They all sat down at the table and began to chat about stuff. Normal stuff. And for some reason, they never actually got around to telling Tristan what was going on.  
  
****************************************************************** *  
  
{Later: Yami}  
  
Lunchtime was over. Yami could sense Yugi heading for Math. He sighed. Daricio looked over at him from where she was still sitting on the bed.  
  
"What?" She asked.  
  
"Math." Yami replied sadly. "It's time for Quadratic equations."  
  
"Fun." Daricio said, grinning for the first time in a while. "I'm sure you will just love that."  
  
Yami sat next to her on the bed. "Maybe you could help us with it." He suggested.  
  
"Maybe... But I'd have to have paper and pencil. And not just this imaginary stuff in here. This stuff disappears if you're not concentrating on it enough, and I cannot concentrate on keeping my paper and pencil here, keeping whatever I write onto the paper on the paper, AND doing complex math problems all at the same time." Daricio paused.  
  
"Although, I could just have Yugi write it down for me..." Then she grinned again. "Or, I could write it on his paper for him..."  
  
"What do you mean?" Yami asked.  
  
"I mean...well... you know how you can control Yugi's body? I think I can too... and so I could take over to write stuff down on the paper, and tell you why I'm writing stuff in here..." Daricio said.  
  
Yugi had been listening to what they were saying as he walked, so he was in the soul room too. "Wait a minute." He said. "Whenever Yami takes over I sort of change... I mean, you already know how I get taller. And my hair sort of changes. And my voice changes to Yami's... So... What would I end up looking like if Daricio took over?"  
  
They were all silent for a moment. Yami looked from one teen to the other, trying to imagine them combined. Somehow, he couldn't quite do it.  
  
Yugi and Daricio were the same height, so there wouldn't be a change there. But.  
  
Yugi and his spiky red, black and yellow hair. Daricio and her long, slightly curly, poofy, light brown hair.  
  
There was also the small matter of: Would his clothes change to what Daricio was wearing like they sometimes did with Yami?  
  
Somehow, the two's very unique appearances just did not mix.  
  
*************************************** ***************************  
  
I have had that question in my head all week. What WOULD Yugi look like if Daricio took over? And would anyone in his class notice the sudden change?  
  
As always, any ideas are appreciated!!!!!! (Not only for how Yugi would look, but for the actual story too.)  
  
Also, for anyone who is actually taking the time to read through all these little notes and is wondering if I remember what I was going to tell you at the beginning of the chapter, No...Sorry...I still don't remember. * Shrugs* It'll come back to me!!! Maybe... Next chapter maybe..  
  
But, hey! Even if I didn't remember that, I did think of something else in here that I don't have! Character Pronunciations and stuff! I'm going to just do a few that look like they might be confusing, but if you find more that you're not sure of, just tell me. (Character that you want me to pronounce must be in this story) Anyways:  
  
Shells = Shells. Just like it sounds. Is actually short for Shells124. (See my Bio)  
  
DVD = Dee Vee Dee. Like the letters. Is actually short for DVD185. (Again, See Bio)  
  
Jrj = Jay Are Jay. Like the letters. It's actually supposed to be JRJ, but I is lazy. Is short for JRJathome. (Once again, See Bio)  
  
"If there is any other confusion, tell me. I did not put this in because I thought you were to stupid to figure it out. (Although this may be the case for a select few) It is merely for your convenience. Thank You. This has been a recording."  
  
That was my automatic De-Flaming thingy. Like it? Anyways, Gotta Go now! See Ya!  
  
--Daricio 


	16. The Other Case: The Boy

Hey all!

I Membered! I membered! HAHAHAHAHAHAHA! The thing I was going to tell you but forgot numerous times is that I am not going to incorperate the holidays into my fic. (If I did, it would end up being: Day one- Christmas. Day two-Normal day. Day three- Easter or something like that... So, no I ish not going to do holiday specials and stuff like that...

Also, for those who have expressed their confusion, (Glances at Mojobubbles) Jrj is also my brother. ( I just keep forgetting to mention him in the story. As I had Shells say, he really is often excluded from what we are doing.) Like I said before, Read my Bio, the last line, and you shall understand.

Also, another new thing... Shells's thinking shall actually done as thinking instead as part of the narrative...

Ok, so now that you (finally) know that, Let's read the fic!

(NOTE: This is the other chapter that I replaced due to plotholes...)

* * *

+Shells+

DVD and Shells sat in silence for most of the day, thinking, still mostly in shock about what had happened. Occationally, Jrj would turn the T.V. back on, much to everyone's annoyance.

Shells sighed. She tried to mentally bring up her list of "things that could have happened," but no matter how hard she tried, she couldn't concentrate. She sat, staring at the hospital room wall for a moment, thinking hard.

Suddenly, there was a small flash of light. Shells looked around quickly, but nobody else seemed to have noticed. She turned to DVD and was about to ask him what he thought had just happened, when a new thought came to her.

_That was no ordinary flash of light._She realized. _That...Was a mental thing...That was in my mind! Maybe it was the link! This is so confusing...I wish this would all just make sense for once! And what did that doctor mean,"one other case?" Does that mean that there was another person who had been in the same condition as Daricio is now?_ Shells was filled to the brim with unanswered questions and half formed thoughts.

She was so wrapped up in her thinking, that she almost didn't notice when the doctor came back into the room to check on Daricio. Shells let him do whatever tests he was preforming, then just as he was about to leave, she went up to him.

"I heard you talking to yourself this morning. What do you mean 'another case?' was there someone else like this ever?" Shells asked him, determined to get some answers. The doctor glanced at everyone in the room, none of whom had noticed Shells talking to the doctor, and then sat in a chair and motioned for her to sit next to him.

"Not really 'was' another case, more like, 'still is.'" He told her. She looked at him with a confused expression on her face.

"So the other person is still here? For how long? Can you help either of them?" Shells started to bombard him with questions, but he raised a hand to stop her.

"Yes, there is another person here. I didn't want to tell you because I thought it would worry you, but now I see that you are strong enough to hear the truth."

"Strong enough?" Shells asked, still not understanding.

"You see, these are two very mysterious cases. Espesially the other one. Mostly because nobody knows who he is. Also because of just how long he's been here.

He was found in an abandoned apartment...About four years ago, and yet his body has not aged a bit. It's as if, not only was his mind in a state of...Nonexistment, but so was his growth."

The doctor shook his head, then continued. "He has been in one of our rooms this whole time, and yet no change has ever come to him. Nothing good. Nothing bad. Nobody quite knows what to think of it.

And now that we have another case of it, we know we will have to work harder to find a cure for it, if possible...But the chances of doing so are very small."

Shells looked up at him. "Can I see him?"

"What? Hmm... If you think it will help...Somehow I doubt it will, though." He got up and went over to Mom and Dad. After gaining their permission, ( "Anything you think will help my daughter, just do it!") He took Shell's hand and led her down the hall.

He took he to a small door at the very end of the corridor and opened it slowly. Shells looked inside first before going in. She couldn't really make out the form on the bed because of the height of the bed, but when she got close enough to see, she peered at his face.

Shells gasped. _This cannot be who I think it is! That's impossible! But it is! It's him!_

* * *

+Yugi+ 

Class had started. Yugi listened carefully to Daricio as she tried to walk him through the problems. He was doing his best to jot down whatever Daricio told him to so that she would be able to help. So far, though, he and Yami still didn't quite get how to do it.

_Use your calculator to figure this part out, then write it down, Ok? _Daricio told him. _Ok, good. Now, all you have to do is divide the number you just wrote down by that numberover there, and you have youranswer! The answer is X22! See?_

_Well, I see that that's the answer, but why do you divide those numbers and not these? If you did it that way, you get a completely different answer! How do I know that it's not the answer and that the one you showed me is?_ Yugi asked, still confused.

_Because, that would be dividing it by two times B, and we ned to divide it by two times A. It's in the basic formula, if you just look at it._ Daricio tried her best to explain.

_Huh?_ Yugi still didn't get it. Daricio sighed.

_I may be good at doing this, but I'm obviously not very good at teaching others how to do it. At least I know I'mnot going to be able to be a math teacher when I'm older..._Daricio grumbled. _Yugi, just ask the teacher... That's what they're there for._

_Oh, right._Yugi called the teacher over and tried to figure out more problems. Daricio retreated over to the corner of the soul room where the door was and began trying to get it to open again.

"Is now a good time for you to explain what you had said in the puzzle earlier?" Yami asked, suprising her.

"Uh... I guess. In one of the episodes,..." Daricio stopped as she realized what she was saying. "I mean... You know when Yugi had to battle Marik?"

"Who?" Yami sat next to her on the floor looking confused.

"I mean, Bandit Keith, who was possesed by someone. The person who possesed him...He has the Milennium Rod, and his name is Marik... I think... At least according to the closed captioning on my screen...I mean, it has been known to be wrong... While it was showing Ishizu tell you her name it was saying her name was Isis, but..." Daricio started wandering off the subject.

"What does... Marik...Have anything to do with Bakura?" Yami asked.

"Oh, right. Anyways, When Yugi had to battle Keith, Tea, Tristan and Joey were running around trying to find you guys. After a while they split up.

Tea ran into Evil Bakura as she was searching, and she told him what was going on. As soon as Tea went around a corner, Bakura took out his Ring and began using it's powers to find the Puzzle."

Yami nodded. "The Ring again." he commented. Daricio looked slightly annoyed at being interupted, then continued.

"When he came to the allyways and saw all those arrows, he mixed them up as he went so that nobody else would be able to find him. When he got to the building you were in, he got up to the second floor and began to watch your duel. After a while of that, he freed Keith from Marik's spell.

As you know, Keith went slightly nuts, with Marik fighting to regain control. He did gain control for one breif moment, and that's when he ran onto the dueling feild and smashed the Puzzle.

Bakura then... I think that's when he swung down from the floor above and started helping you to pick up the pieces of the puzzle."

"And?" Yami said. "I remember all that... Though from a different point of view of course... But what dos that have to do with.."

"Well, just listen! I'm not done yet. To Yugi it must have seemed like Bakura then handed him one other piece that he had missed before. Then Bakura left." Daricio looked worried again, but for a brief instant, she smiled. "not without falling down first, though." She added. "Proof that the tomb robber isn't as graceful as he seems."

"I still don't see what you mean..." Yami started.

" Bakura didn't just find that piece and hand it to Yugi, he kept it in his hand for a moment before giving it to him. While it was in his hand, he put a small portion of his soul into that piece! The Puzzle may be shifting over there, just because of Evil Bakura!" Daricio finished. "That's what I meant."

Yami was silent for a moment. "Oh."

Daricio turned away and began trying to open the door again. As before, it was sealed shut. She sighed.Yami was about to ask something else, when they heard Yugi exclaim, "Ohhhhhh! I get it now!"

Yami smiled. "At least one of us does." He commented.

* * *

+Shells+ 

The person in the bed looked to be a little younger than Daricio, although they were probably about the same age. Shells still couldn't believe who it was.

This is totally impossible.She thought, shaking her head. She looked back at the doctor. He was waiting for her by the door. She went over to him, then told him she wanted to go back to Daricio's room. The doctor nodded.

Just before they turned to leave, Shells took one last glance at the boy in the bed. The boy she had never expected to find. The boy she had thought didn't really exist exept in her fantasies.

She sighed and left the room.

* * *

This is where things get interesting. (evil grin) Can you figure out who this boy is? I bet you can't! At least not until I tell you next chapter! BWHAHAHAHAHA!

Also, please no reviews telling me about Marik. I know all that already, it's just that before I started reading Yu-Gi-Oh fanfics, I didn't know. And I'm pretending that Fan Fic doesn't exist in this story so that I don't start stealing the idea of "Mystery Yu-Gi-Oh Theater." So, yeah...No reviews telling me about Marik...

Thank you!

Daricio


	17. Yugi's Pottery Class and The Other Link

Hey all!!  
  
Thank you, everyone who gave me ideas for my story!!!! There are many ideas which I got that I will put into my story, But please don't feel bad if you suggested something that I didn't put in. If that does happen, it means that I considered it, then couldn't figure out how to incorperate it into the story.  
  
(Note to DVD185, My brother: PLEASE STOP OVER-CRITISIZING MY WORK!!!!!! (For those of you who do not know what I mean, Here is a sample: "Daricio, you spelled this wrong. And here's a typo! And here's another typo!!!") (To readers: Yes I know I could have just told him this myself, as he is standing right next to me, but.....))  
  
(Note to pruningshears: Why are all of your reviews one huge run-on sentance long? It's very hard to decipher the things and ideas you were trying to tell me. Try to write in multiple complete sentances next time, Ok? Ok! ^_^ )  
  
(Note to all the people who reviewed: How do you do it? I just don't get it! You have this uncanny way of reading my mind and figuring out what I was going to write down just before I write it! I thought for sure nobody would be able to figure out who the boy was, and look how many people figured it out!!! A whole two people!!! Was it that obvious?) (Read story to figure out who was right.) (Also, Don't worry... I have no writer's block at teh moment, (yea) and so I do actually have a reason for him to be there. And how he got there. And all that. ^_^ )  
  
*Suddenly realizes just how many reveiws she has* 36 reveiws?!?!?! Wow! You guys is great!!! *Suddenly realizes how many chappies she has* 17 chappies?!?!?!?!?!!? I must be obsessed with this or something....  
  
Anyways, When I first started this story, everything I put into it was purely for my own humor and enjoyment, and of course the enjoyment of the readers. But, after a while, I began to make the story into a real story, and it began to lose most of the humor. For those of you who miss the humor, I finally figured out a way to put the funny back in without subtracting too much from the storyline. For those of you who think I have dry humor and only are reading this because I turned it into a real story, Don't worry...Shells is still trying to figure stuff out, so the story will not turn into a complete insanity fic.  
  
So, now that you know that, Read on!!!!!  
  
*********************************************************************  
  
{Yugi}  
  
Math was coming to an end, But for the first time, Yugi wished it weren't. He had just finally been able to understand the math problems, so he wanted to be able to learn the next step to it. Also, with the new "Tuesday schedual" that the school had put in, along with the fact that he hadn't been able to get into a lot of the classes he signed up for, he had some very strange classes next.  
  
//What's next?// Daricio asked him.  
  
He realized that he wasn't quite sure. He looked at his schedual and groaned. //I didn't get the metal working class that I signed up for, and they stuck me in this pottery class. That's where I'm headed next.// He said, heading slowly off to the art room.  
  
Daricio was silent for a moment, then she giggled. //How good are you at it?// She asked.  
  
//I don't know... For the past couple of weeks, all we have been doing has been talking about rules and saftey issues. The teacher likes embarrassing all the guys in the class, too.//Yugi said gloomiy.  
  
//How many guys are in the class?// Daricio asked the question, but a moment later, Yugi stepped into the classrom and had her question answered. There really weren't many people at all in the class. Maybe ten people total. Out of those, there were three guys.  
  
//Oh. Not very many. That kind of figures. What stuff does she embarrass you about?// That question was also answered for her a second later when the teacher noticed Yugi enter the room.  
  
"Finally decided to join us, hmm?" She was referring, not only to Yugi, but to the other boys that entered the room right after him.  
  
//Ok, so there's more boys than I thought there was. So she makes fun of way over half the class?// Daricio asked. //That's mean.//  
  
//No, she doesn't really make fun of us...Or at least I don't think she tries to...she just ends up embarrasing us.// Yugi said, sitting down at a table.  
  
//What do you mean?// Daricio asked.  
  
"Yugi, don't forget to put up your hair into one of these hair nets so that your hair doesn't get messed up. We will be actually working with clay today, and working on the potter's wheel, and I don't want any of you boys to feel left out just because most people think that boys can't do art!" The teacher said.  
  
Yugi blushed and grabbed one of the bright blue hair nets from a big bucket. //That's what I mean! She makes me put this on every day in here! It's embarrasing!//  
  
//Well at least your hair isn't getting messed up, right?// Yami said.  
  
//That's what she thinks. The moment I take the thing off, I just get embarrased even more because I get hat hair.// Yugi grumbled. He put the hair net on, then looked up at the teacher.  
  
"Ok class. I have made a list of all the students in here, and" She started talking to the class, then interrupted herself to say, " Tommy, quit flirting." Then she continued. "And I have put them all into a hat. Every day, I will draw 5 names, and if your name is on one of them, you get to go on one of the potters wheels!"  
  
She shuffled the hat around, then drew one name. "Oh, Billy! You get to go, you lucky cutie!" The boy named Billy blushed, but the teacher didn't notice.  
  
She drew out another name. "Christina!"  
  
Then another. "Jenny!"  
  
//Please not me! Please not me!// Yugi wished silently.  
  
Another name was pulled. "Nick! Oh, isn't that nice! I love it when the boys get such good chances at art! Good job Nick!"  
  
Nick also blushed, but again, the teacher didn't notice. She shuffled around her hat again, then drew the final name for the day.  
  
"Yugi! you also get to have a lovely time up here on the potter's wheel! Class, isn't it so nice how random things end up working out so that even the short boys get to have a chance at things?"  
  
She clapped her hands joyfully, then said, "Ok everyone! Those who's names were not called, you get to work on coil pots with me! The lucky five go over to the wheel and get everything ready as I showed you last week! I'll be over to help you out when I'm done with these people!"  
  
Yugi went over to join the other four people who's names had been called, then began helping them get all the potters wheels out. Daricio was laughing.  
  
//So that's what you meant!// She said between giggles. //Sorry, Yugi. I can't help it! I'm not laughing at you, I'm laughing at the teacher, honest!//  
  
//Right.// Yugi said. He got out the things he needed, then sat on a stool to wait for more instructions. The teacher was still over working with the other students, so at the moment, he had nothing to do.  
  
The other four also had everything out and ready, and so the two girls, having nothing better to do, began to tease the boys by mimiking the teacher.  
  
"Oh, isn't it NICE that the BOYS get to do art? It's SO lovely!" they giggled.  
  
//Ok, when the teacher did it, that was one thing, but THEM? That's gone too far.// Daricio said slightly angrily.  
  
//They do it all the time. I just ignore them.// Yugi said.  
  
//Good for you.// Yami told him.  
  
//No, not good. Those girls need to be taught a-// Daricio got a glare from Yami and immedietly changed her opinion. //I mean, yeah....Good for you, Yugi. Just keep ignoring them.//  
  
Yugi sighed. //You two are just going to keep getting on each other's nerves, aren't you?//  
  
//Sorry.// Daricio and Yami both said.  
  
The teacher finished her instructions to the rest of the class and came over to help the five (actually the seven, but she didn't know that) on the wheels.  
  
"Ok, everyone! The first thing we need to do is double check to make sure you've got everything." She went around looking at everyone's wheels (especially the boy's, as they were "the most able to make mistakes in this sort of stuff" ) to make sure they were set up correctly. They were, so she continued.  
  
"Very good. Now, each of you need three pieces of clay. When you get them, roll them into balls. Then take them to your wheel and sit at the stool." The teacher instructed them.  
  
They went and did that. The teacher continued. "Ok, now you need to turn on the wheels, but make sure they are not spinning yet. Then wet the surface of the wheel. Now, I don't want you to do this next part along with me, so that way you can see how it's done before you have to do it. Jenny, since your wheel is set up so nicely, can I do my demonstration on your wheel?"  
  
Jenny got up from her wheel to let the teacher sit. She began her demonstration. "First, you must get one ball of clay. You need to make it stick to the wheel so that it doesn't go flying off when you make the wheel spin. To do that, you need to whack the clay very hard onto the wheel."  
  
She showed this by standing up and slamming the clay hard onto the wheel like one of those chocolate orange things.  
  
"Make sure you get it as close to the center as possible. Now, because it is impossible to get it directly in the center, you must center it manually. First,get the clay wet. Then, push down on the pedal to make the wheel spin as fast as it can go, then push the clay around on the wheel, hard, so that it doesn't move around any more."  
  
She did so to show them.  
  
"Ok, now you need to get the clay wet again so that you don't get friction burns when you try to work with it. Get it wet, but not too wet, or you'll make a mess. Now, to make the hollow part of the pot, slow down the wheel a little bit, then press your thumb firmly into the clay. When you think you have a deep enough hole, begin pressing the sides of the hole outward."  
  
She showed them what she meant, then showed them her hands. "Now, this is something that requires getting messy, as you can see. But, as most boys do, I'm sure you like that." Her hands were covered in wet, goopy clay.  
  
//Not particularly.// Yugi said. Yami agreed. Daricio sort of did, but not really.  
  
//I took an after school pottery thing once. If you don't get what she's saying, I can help.// She said.  
  
//No thanks. I think I get it.// Yugi said.  
  
"Now we have a basic pot. If you want, you can make it taller, or put some designs and things in it by doing something like this." She put her finger onto the side of her pot which made a line all around it.  
  
"The hardest part of this will be centering the pot. Once you get the hang of it, this will all be easy for you. Now all of you can try it!" She took a small cutting wire and cut her pot off of the wheel, then stood aside so Jenny could try.  
  
Soon the room was filled with the sound of people working on pots. First came the whacking of clay on the wheels, then the sounds of the wheels starting up. Yugi tried to center his clay, but it was being difficult.  
  
//Come on........// He thought as he tried to force the clay around. After what seemed like an eternity, he got it to cooperate, and he slowed the wheel down.  
  
He put some water on the messy blob. //I don't think that's enough, Yugi.// Yami thought to him.  
  
//Ok.// Yugi put a little more on, then started up the wheel again.  
  
The water started splatting off the pot and getting everywhere! Water mixed with clay was flying through the air! Onto people's clothes, onto the floor, and, of course, all over Yugi. Yugi quickly stopped his wheel. The teacher was looking at him.  
  
"Sorry." He said quietly. The teacher sighed. She turned to the rest of the class and called up another person. Then she turned back to Yugi and told him to come over.  
  
"Yugi, I don't think you quite know what you're doing over there. I'm sorry, but I think I'll have you work with coil pots today, instead of the wheel. Go wash up, then come join us."  
  
"But, I just accidently put on too much water. It's no big deal, really! I'll clean it up!" Yugi said. The teacher shook her head.  
  
"I think you're done with the wheel today. Maybe you can try again another day." She turned to the person she had called up and asked her to help Yugi clean up the mess. In return, she would be able to go on the wheel instead.  
  
Yugi wiped some clay off his clothes, sighed, then turned to get a mop from a closet. From the direction of the other kids in the room, he could hear whispering and giggling.  
  
//This is obviously not my day.// He said.  
  
//Sorry.//Yami said.  
  
//It's not your fault.// Yugi replied. Yami was about to say something else, when he and Daricio realized that Yugi was ignoring them.  
  
Yami sighed and headed for the puzzle, muttering softly in Egyptian.  
  
"It really wasn't your fault." Darico called after him. "It would have done that anyway even if you hadn't said anything. That teacher didn't explain that very well."  
  
Yami half-turned back to her. "Thanks for trying to cheer me up." he said. Then he went into the puzzle to think. Daricio went over to her door and sat down next to it.  
  
"I sure have been a big help here, huh?" she said sarcasticly to herself. She sighed, then realized how tired she was. She began to doze off.  
  
*************************************************************************  
  
{Shells}  
  
When Shells came back into Daricio's hospital room, she was deep in thought. Not deep enough to not see that there was only about an hour left befoe school would get out, but deep enough that she didn't notice the worried look DVD was giving her.  
  
"What's up?" He asked her when she sat next to him. "While you've been gone, I was thinking about that link, and I thought for sure I could feel that something had shocked you."  
  
"Something did shock me, I guess. Earlier, the doctor had said that there was another case of this!" She said gesturing towards Daricio. "And then he took me to see him. He told me that nobody knew who he was, but when I saw him, I recognised him! It was-"  
  
DVD interupted her softly. "Bakura?" He asked.  
  
"Yes! How did you know?" Shells asked.  
  
"That link! It must be! We really do have a mental link with each other! That means we must have one with Daricio too!" DVD said excitedly.  
  
"But... Why would Bakura be here? How would he be? The doctor said that he was found like this over two years ago! How can that be true if we've seen him on the show so many times?" Shells was full of questions.  
  
"Wait a moment. Was that normal Bakura or Evil Bakura?" DVD asked.  
  
"Normal. But what does that have to do with anything?" Shells replied.  
  
"If we could ask him about it, we would know." DVD said.  
  
"Ask who?" Shells wondered.  
  
"Bakura!" DVD replied.  
  
"How?" Shells reminded him.  
  
"Uh.... I don't know.... Why don't we ask Daricio if we can talk to her?" DVD suggested.  
  
"But can we even contact her?" Shells asked.  
  
"I don't know. But we have to try!"  
  
**************************************************************************** *****  
  
{Daricio}  
  
By the time Daricio woke up from her nap, Yugi had cleaned up and was sitting at a table working on a pot. She wondered if he had stopped trying to ignore them yet.  
  
//Yugi?// She asked softly.  
  
//What?// He replied.  
  
//I know I have just been getting in your way and annoying you ever since I first brought you to my room... And... I'm really sorry. I don't mean to.// She said.  
  
//I know you don't. It's Ok, really.// Yugi said. //Um... Did you sleep well?//  
  
//Uh... I guess... Where's Yami?// She asked, trying to change the subject because she was embarrased that she had been caught sleeping.  
  
//He's still taking a nap... I think...// Yugi said.  
  
//Oh... So we were both asleep?// Daricio asked.  
  
//Yeah. I really shouldn't have yelled at him. The teacher came over and told me that it didn't do that because of too much water.// Yugi said.  
  
//I thought not. I think it did that because she forgot to-// Daricio started.  
  
//She told me it was because I was too small for the wheel.// Yugi said glumly.  
  
//WHAT?// Daricio got up from where she had been sitting on the floor. //Hey, if I can do a wheel, you can Yugi! It's just that she forgot to tell you that you needed to-// Daricio groaned and sat back down.  
  
//Yugi, just don't listen to her. She's not a very good teacher. I should know. You could do the wheel if you really wanted to, and I know that because I can! I was doing a wheel back when I was in the seventh grade! I was a lot smaller then! It's not about smallness that makes it so that you can or can't do a wheel!// Daricio said.  
  
Yugi laughed. //It's not that big of a deal, Daricio.// He told her.  
  
Daricio paused. //I guess your right. Sorry. I didn't need to go into the whole speech thing, did I?//  
  
//Not really. But it's Ok. Besides, Look at this! I'm doing much better over here than on the wheel anyway!// Yugi held up his pot slightly, then he continued working on it.  
  
Just then, the bell rang. It was time to go to his next class. Yugi quickly put away his pot where he would be able to work on it the next day, then he took off his hair net.  
  
Yugi tried to smooth down his now frizzed up hair. A few of the other boys on the class were doing the same thing. (The teacher made all the boys wear hair nets. For girls it was optional.)  
  
Yugi pulled out his schedual again. //Oh, great. it's time for English// He said. He headed over the the classrom.  
  
The class went by quickly, as Yugi had lots to do. (A whole book report due next week on a really weird book that the whole class had had to read called, "FWC's, the true story")  
  
Before Yugi knew it, school was over.  
  
"Yugi, what is that book about?" Daricio asked.  
  
"FWC's." Yugi said. "Some nutty scientist came up with this idea that there was a whole other world really close to ours that nobody here can find, and that the people there have set up invisible cameras everywhere and is turning our world into a TV show. Also, that most of the people there have any clue about it. He called the cameras Freaky World Cameras, or FWC's."  
  
"Oh. Anything else?" Daricio asked.  
  
"Yeah. He also came up with the idea that the "freaky world" also invented this "picture technology" that makes it so that the people from our world end up getting teleported....to..." Yugi started, but then he slowly came to a stop.  
  
"What? You mean to say this guy was actually right? And that's how I got you to my room? And that you and I are from different worlds?" Daricio realized.  
  
"I guess. Well, I guess having to do a book report on that isn't going to be such a bad thing after all!" Yugi finished puttting his books away into his locker and began walking home.  
  
As he walked, Yami came out of the puzzle and yawned. "Hello."  
  
"Have a nice nap?" Yugi asked him.  
  
"Yeah. So, what's up?" He asked. Daricio filled him in on their thoughts. Then she thought of something to ask Yami.  
  
"Yami, have you or Yugi ever gotten a song stuck in your head?" She asked.  
  
"Songs stuck in our heads? No, I don't think so... Well... Maybe once. Why?" Yami replied.  
  
"Because, Yugi needs to be cheered up." Daricio grinned. "And I think I know just how to do it!"  
  
Yami looked at her strangely. "Really...." He said.  
  
"Yup!" Daricio began singing. "I know a song that gets on everybody's nerves! I know a song that gets on everybody's nerves! I know a song that gets on everybody's nerves and this is how it goes,... REPEAT!!! I know a song that gets on everybody's nerves!!!!"  
  
She continued the song. Yugi and Yami continued to stare at her. After a while, Yami grinned. He started humming the tune along with her.  
  
"Yami!!!!" Yugi cried.  
  
"What?" Yami said. "It's a catchy tune!"  
  
Yugi sighed. He continued walking home. //Out of all the annoying things you two could decide to do...//  
  
**************************************************************************** *****  
  
{Shells}  
  
"Let's stop thinking about stuff we can do nothing about, and try to see if we can talk to Daricio through this Link we have!" DVD said.  
  
"Both of us, or just one of us?" Shells asked.  
  
"Hmm... Probably just one. How about you try?" DVD suggested.  
  
"Well, I don't know if this will work, but it's worth a try." Shells closed her eyes and concentrated.  
  
//Daricio?// She thought hard. //DARICIO?//  
  
**************************************************************************  
  
{Daricio}  
  
By now, Yugi had reached the game shop, and had gone up to his room. Daricio was having lots of fun. "I know a song that gets on everybody's nerves! and this is how it goes! REPEAT!!!"  
  
It was maybe the thirtieth time she had repeated it. Yami had gotten tired of singing after repeat number twenty or so, and was now just watching her, grinning.  
  
"I know a song that gets on everybody's nerves!!! I know a song that gets on every...." She stopped suddenly.  
  
"Did you hear that?" She asked softly. They all listened.  
  
"Daricio?" she suddenly heard. It was very soft and faint. Daricio raced over to her door and tried to pull it open. It was still stuck. She listened some more.  
  
"Daricio!" Daricio suddenly realized who it was. It was Shells!  
  
She looked over at Yugi and Yami. They apparently hadn't heard anything, because they were looking at her strangely.  
  
"It's Shells! I can hear my sister!" Daricio turned towards the door and yelled. "SHELLS???"  
  
***********************************************************************  
  
{Shells}  
  
"Shells?" DVD asked. "Anything?"  
  
Shells shook her head slightly. "Nothing. Absoulutly nothing. Maybe it ju-"  
  
"Shells???" Shells looked up at DVD.  
  
"Wait! That was her! She answered me! Help me out here DVD!!!"  
  
They both closed their eyes and concentrated.  
  
//DARICIO??? CAN YOU HEAR US?????// They both thought as hard as they could.  
  
*********************************************************************  
  
{Daricio}  
  
"Daricio? Can you hear us?" The words were still faint, but they were a little clearer than they had been. Now, instead of just Shells, Daricio could hear DVD as well. Yugi and Yami still couldn't hear it at all.  
  
"The door must be in the way. We probably can't hear each other because the door's in the way!" Daricio glared at the door. "Stupid door."  
  
"Daricio?" Yugi asked.  
  
"What?" She looked over at him.  
  
"What is happening?" He asked. Yami was right behind him, obviously wanting to know the same thing.  
  
"I can hear my brother and my sister through the door!" she said. "Before, my sister was always telling me that she thought we might have some sort of link, and it must be true! I can hear them, but this stupid door is in the way!" she kicked the door as she said it.  
  
"YEAH, I CAN HEAR YOU, BUT JUST BARELY!!!!!!" Daricio yelled through the door again.  
  
She waited for a response. Finally, she got one. "Where are you? What happened?" Their voices got fainter as they asked more questions, and soon Daricio couldn't hear them any more.  
  
Daricio felt a small strain, and realized that they weren't goin to be able to maintain the connection for much longer. "THE TINS!!!! USE THE TINS!!!!!!!" She screamed. Then she felt the connection break. She wouldn't be able to talk to them any more until she could get back.  
  
**************************************************************************** *  
  
{Shells}  
  
"The tins! Use the tins!" Daricio's voice was extremely faint, and getting fainter. Shells opened her eyes. Somehow she knew that the connection was broken. She looked at DVD.  
  
"That....Was.....Cool......I think...." He said, breathing heavily as if he had been running for a long time. "I'm tired all of a sudden!"  
  
"Me too." Shells said softly. They sat in silence for a while. Then Shells turned back to him. "Did you make out that last thing? Did I hear that right? Tins? Why would Daricio talk about her tins?"  
  
"I don't know." He admitted. "I guess this just gets added to our list of questions we've formed."  
  
The doctor walked into the room. "Visiting hours are up." He announced. He glanced over at Shells and DVD. "You two all right?"  
  
"Yeah." They muttered.  
  
The doctor led the group out of the room.  
  
****************************************************************************  
  
Ok, Looooong chappie.... Spent too long working on this one... My internet has been down, and instead of creating multiple chappies, I just kept adding on to this one. But now it's back up, and I can post this, and everybody's happy! Lots of action in this chappie.... lots of new info, and some more old info. See ya next chappie!  
  
--Daricio 


	18. Playing Games and Other Randomness

Hey all!!!  
  
I'm here once again with yet another chappie!!!!!!!  
  
Once again, I'm going to try to put more humor into the chappie, and less mystery and misery and such. Beware: I had a lot of sugar while I was writing this, and like I said, I'm trying really hard to put humor back into this by means other than picking on the charecters.  
  
(Caution: If you are allergic to hilarious randomness, please exit the fic. Actually, don't. It would be humorous to watch that....*Imagines little purple and pink bumps appearing all over face* *Shudder* Or maybe not...)  
  
Anywhos... Read the looooooooong chappie that I have created for you!!!!!!!!  
  
***************************************************************************  
  
{Daricio}  
  
"Daricio? Are you ok?" Yugi asked. Daricio had been sitting in front of her door for over an hour now, waiting to see if the connection would open again.  
  
"Yeah. I'm fine. It's just... I wish I could have told them more...Asked them more... Seen if everyone was all right... Told them I was all right... Everything has gotten very confusing..." Daricio got up slowly and leaned against the door.  
  
"I want to show you something." Yugi said with a smile. Daricio looked up at him.  
  
"What?" She asked.  
  
"Well, my grandpa's not going to be back for a while, cause he went to the store, and...Me and Grandpa have lots of Board games, and me and Yami were wondering if you wanted to play with us." Yugi said.  
  
"How?" Daricio asked.  
  
"That's why I mentioned that Grandpa was gone. See, all we have to do is switch when it's our turn. It would look really weird to anyone watching, though, because it would almost look like I was playing against myself..." Yugi told her.  
  
Daricio imagined what that would look like to anyone watching and concluded that Yugi was right. It would look weird. Then she remembered something.  
  
"But, Yugi... We still haven't figured out what would happen if I tried to switch..." she pointed out.  
  
"Well, maybe because you're really not a spirit like Yami is, I wouldn't change at all... Or maybe I would. But, hey, like I said, there's nobody here, so if I end up looking really strange, nobody would notice! Right?" Yugi said.  
  
"I guess you're right. it's worth a try. Besides, it's something to do besides just sitting here waiting." Daricio agreed.  
  
She went over to the bed where Yami was already sitting. He hadn't noticed them walk up yet. He was humming the "I know a song that gets on everybody's nerves" song while reading a book.  
  
"Hey Yami, what game are we going to play?" Daricio asked, giggling slightly because she had gotten a song stuck in his head.  
  
He looked up and put away his book. "I don't know. I thought Yugi was going to pick one out." Yami and Daricio turned to Yugi.  
  
"Uh... I was going to let Daricio pick." Yugi said.  
  
"I don't know what games you have" Daricio reminded him. They all sat down to think.  
  
Suddenly Daricio grinned. "Have either of you ever played 'Egyptian War'?" She asked.  
  
Yami looked up at the sound of the word Egyptian, but then he and Yugi both shook their heads no.  
  
"Do you have a deck of normal playing cards?" Daricio asked.  
  
"Uh... No." Yugi said. "The shop sold out yesterday."  
  
"Hmm... I guess it would be kind of hard to play anyway... At least with how we would have to do it." Daricio said.  
  
"How do you play?" Yami asked. He was very interested.  
  
"It's fairly simple. The deck is divided up between all the players. Each person, on their turn, takes the top card and puts it on top of the last one played. If it's a number card, like a ten or a two, then nothing happens, and it's the next person's turn. If it's a face card, then something different happens. For a King, the next person plays down three cards from the top. if none of those is a face card, then the whole pile goes to the person who played the king. If they do get a face card, then the next person has to play down cards. If it's a Queen, then the person plays down two cards, and for a Jack, the next person plays down one. That's basicly it." Daricio explained to them.  
  
"Oh." Yami said, sounding somewhat disappointed. "That's it?"  
  
"That's it." Daricio replied with a smile.  
  
"Oh. I guess we can't play that though, since we don't have any playing cards." Yami said. They all began thinking of games again.  
  
**************************************************************************  
  
{Shells}  
  
When Shells and her family got home, she and DVD went up to hers and Daricio's room. They went over and picked up Daricio's tins and inspected them carefully.  
  
"USE them? Use the tins? Use them for what? We all have our own tins... Why would we need to use hers?"DVD wondered thoughtfully.  
  
"I don't know. What time is it?" Shells asked.  
  
"Uh... 9:30." DVD answered.  
  
"Man, we have to go to bed. Mom will probably make us go to school tommorow. Good night." Shells said.  
  
"Night." DVD went into his room. Shells turned back to the tins and picked up a Joey one.  
  
//This isn't making sense. Use the tins... Use the tins... Why won't this make sense?// Shells sighed. She set the tin down on the ground and stared at it. She began running her fingers over the outlines of the pictures and lines idly, lost in thought.  
  
Suddenly, the tin began to glow slightly. It got brighter and brighter. Shells jumped when she noticed. Then, the Red Eyes Black Dragon popped out!  
  
Shells stared at the dragon. The dragon stared at her. After a second, it began to growl.  
  
"What in the world?" Shells whispered. She reached towards the dragon and tapped it slightly on it's shoulder. She had apparently tapped too hard, because it fell over, flapping it's wings franticly to try and regain it's balance.  
  
"Growr!" It cried. As quickly as it could, it got back to it's feet and glared at Shells. It opened it's mouth and it's Inferno Fire Blast attack grew bigger and bigger.  
  
"Whoa!" She cried, realizing what was happening. She ducked and the blast flew over her head, crashing into a bookshelf behind her.  
  
Shells turned to inspect the damage quickly before deciding that it wan't too bad and turning back to the Dragon. It growled at her again, obviously not pleased that it had missed its target. It flew off the tin and began circling the room, swooping this way and that and knocking things over here and there.  
  
Shells quickly picked up the tin and stared at it, hopeing it would explain somewhere what had just happened. All she could find was a small inscription on the side that read, "Caution: FWC Pic. Tech."  
  
"Wha? Whatever... How do I get this dragon out of my room? How did it get here in the first place? It better not wake anyone up!!!" Shells got up and began trying to catch the rampaging Red Eyes. It was very agile.  
  
"Grrrroooow..." It growled loudly. It looked behind it to see Shells and calculate how to get away, but not being able to see where it was going, it flew right through another pile of books on Daricio's bed and smashed into the wall behind them.  
  
Shells quickly grabbed it and began trying to force it into the tin. "Come on, you have to go in here until I figure out what to do with you." She wrestled with it some more.  
  
The door creaked open, and Shells gasped, thrusting the Dragon away from her in confusion. Upon being released, it immedietly flew out the door, past a very confused DVD and into the hallway, where it promptly began trying to tear down all the pictures on the wall.  
  
"What the? Shells what is THAT?" DVD asked, staring at the Red Eyes. Shells quickly pushed past him, grabbed the Dragon, and raced back into the room, pushing it into the closet and shutting the door.  
  
"Um... That? ...I'm... Not sure..." She said, out of breath. "Maybe you could help me figure that out!"  
  
DVD stared at the closet from which growling and tearing sounds could be heard. Their clothes were getting a very heavy beating. Shells heard a slight whirring sound, then a bright flash of light was seen from under the door, followed by the slight smell of burnt cloth.  
  
Shells winced. "Where did it come from?" DVD asked her.  
  
"The tin.... It was really weird.... I wasn't really doing anything, just rubbing it, then it started to glow, and that came out." She said, gesturing towards the closet, where more havoc was being done.  
  
"Maybe that's what Daricio meant... Use the tins... Maybe she WANTED us to bring this thing here..." DVD suggested.  
  
"Somehow, I don't think so... Maybe...I think that thing is a Red Eyes Black Dragon." She said, pointing to the Red Eyes picture in the background of the tin. "And If we can make THAT appear here using just a picture of it... Maybe..." She pointed at Joey's picture.  
  
"We can make the other characters come here too! But first we need to figure out how... And how to get that Dragon back where it came from before it tears down the whole room..." DVD said.  
  
From the closet, another Inferno Fire Blast was being fired, and stuff was getting just a little more than singed. DVD opened the closet door a crack and reached in to try and grab the Red Eyes again. It bit him on the finger, hard.  
  
"Ow!" DVD pulled his hand back and put his injured finger in his mouth. "Nasty little bugger." He mumbled. The Red Eyes peeked its head out of the closet and looked around the room, looking for an escape route.  
  
"Oh, no you don't." Shells muttered under her breath. She quickly lunged for the tiny, seven inch tall dragon. It saw her coming and retreated back into the closet. Shells shut the door again and sighed.  
  
"Well, it's definetly not a hologram of the monster, like in the show." DVD commented, looking at the indents in his now injured finger with a frown.  
  
"Definetly not. This is going to be a bit of a problem if we can't figure out how to get rid of this thing!!!"  
  
*********************************************************  
  
{Joey}  
  
Lately Joey had been really worried about Yugi. First there was all this disappearing stuff, and him getting into that fight, and now it seemed like he was avoiding everyone.  
  
After school, Joey had yelled to him to ask if he could come over after his sports practice, but Yugi had just continued down the street, staring downwards, humming something to himself.  
  
He was obviously preoccupied with something. He decided to call and see what was up. He went over to the phone and dialed Yugi's number.  
  
It rang several times, but nobody picked up. Joey was just about to hang up, when Yugi's grandpa answered.  
  
"Hello, Turtle Game Shop, this is Soloman. Sorry it took so long to get to the phone, I just got back in. How may I help you?" Grandpa said cheerily.  
  
"Heya Gramps, this is Joey. Is Yuge around?" Joey asked.  
  
"Well, he had been awfully quiet today. He came up to his room the moment he got home. Didn't say a thing to anyone. Was whistling this very strange tune. I don't think he's feeling well, Joey." Grandpa said, concern showing in his voice. "But I can ask him if he wants to talk to you if you want."  
  
"Ok, thanks." Joey said. He heard a clunk as the phone got set down, then faint thumping noises as Grandpa went up the stairs to Yugi's room.  
  
**************************************************************  
  
{Grandpa}  
  
Grandpa pushed gently on the door, and it opened with a creak. He stepped halfway into the room. "Yugi, Joey's on the phone for you." He said with a concerned smile.  
  
"Ok, Grandpa." Yugi said. His face was slightly red and he sounded out of breath, as if he had been running around his room. "I'll go talk to him now."  
  
He got up from a table that had been set up in the center of the room, where a game of Mad Magazine was set up for some reason, and went down the stairs towards the phone.  
  
Grandpa watched him go with another smile, then came into the room and examined the game. It was set up for three players, it seemed, although Yugi had been the only one there. At least he thought so.  
  
Grandpa looked at the "different" players's amounts of money and things. The 'player' on the left had been winning, and the one in the center had been losing.  
  
The one on the right had just drawn a card that said, "Run around the table with your eyes closed. If you can go all the way around without running into anything, lose $100. If not, gain $100."  
  
(A/N In Mad Magazine, the point of the game is to lose, or "get rid of all your money." Very confusing game. Very fun, too.)  
  
Grandpa chuckled. So Yugi HAD been running around the room.  
  
It just kind of figured, that while Yugi's friends wanted him to go out and do more things, he found it more enjoyable to sit in his room playing games with himself. Grandpa shook his head and left the room, heading back down to the shop so he could clean up a bit.  
  
***************************************************************  
  
{Joey}  
  
Joey waited for a few minutes until he heard the phone get picked up again.  
  
"Hello?" Yugi said.  
  
"Hey Yuge! What's up?" Joey asked.  
  
"A lot.... I was just up stairs playing a game..." Yugi said, sounding distracted.  
  
"Oh. Ya know, after school I had wanted to ask you if ya wanted me ta come over or something, but... ya didn't answer me..." Joey told him.  
  
"Really? Oh sorry, Joey. I haven't been able to concentrate on anything very easily lately..." Yugi apoligized.  
  
"Yeah, well, I know it's a little too late for anyone to be goin anywhere tonight, but do can I come over and hang out wichu tommorow?" Joey asked.  
  
"It's late? What time is it?" Yugi asked.  
  
'Uh.... 'bout 9:30 'cording to my watch." Joey said.  
  
"Really? Um... Sure, you can come over tomorrow, Joey. I have a whole lot of stuff I really need to tell you." Yugi said, sounding like if he didn't tell someone, he would explode.  
  
"All right Yuge. So I'll see ya tomorrow then. Bye!" Joey said.  
  
"See ya." Yugi relpied. Then he hung up. Joey hung up too.  
  
Now Joey knew that something was definetly up with Yugi. But now he was going to get some answers. He hoped. But for now, it was time to get some shut eye.  
  
********************************************************************  
  
{Yugi}  
  
Yugi looked over at his grandpa who had finished sweeping the floor and was now headed for his room.  
  
"Night Grandpa." He said as he headed up the stairs.  
  
"Night Yugi. Don't forget to clean up that game in your room before you go to bed." Grandpa said.  
  
"Alright..." Yugi went up the stairs and into his room.  
  
//Darn... That means we won't be able to finish the game... And I was winning too... // Daricio complained. //I mean, losing... I mean...... I had the least money.... Yeah....//  
  
//Oh well. I do need to go to bed, Daricio. I have school again tomorrow, even if it is Late Start Wednesday.// Yugi told her.  
  
//Oh. Right. Forgot about that. Alright.// Daricio went over to her door and sat down next to it, leaning up against the wall. //I guess I should sleep too. Goodnight.//  
  
//Good night Daricio. Night Yami.// Yugi yawned and went to bed, forgeting about his grandpa's reminder to put away the game.  
  
//Good night.// Yami said, retreating into his soul room for the night.  
  
***********************************************************************  
  
{Shells}  
  
Shells sighed as she and DVD tried, once again, to get the Red Eyes from wrecking havoc on the closet. It wasn't working.  
  
DVD opened the door and put the end of a broom inside. the Red Eyes grabbed ahold of it with it's sharp teeth, just as they thought it would. DVD yanked it out and Shells, with gloves on, grabbed hold of the elusive Dragon.  
  
It roared again, then squirmed out of Shells' grasp. It flew for the room door, which had been left open.  
  
"No!" DVD cried as he lunged for it. But he was too late. The dragon had gotten out and was now sailing down the stairs.  
  
"Oh, no. I hope Dad decided not to stay up late watching TV down there!!!" Shells whispered to DVD. They both raced down the stairs after the pesky Dragon.  
  
Fortunetly, nobody was down there and the lights were off. nobody could see a thing except when the Red Eyes fired off an Inferno Fire Blast.  
  
DVD ran and turned on the lights, hoping that it wouldn't attract the attention of anyone sleeping upstairs. The Red Eyes flew downwards and landed on the Dining Room table.  
  
"Growr!" It called to them. It began powering up another attack.  
  
"No, wait! Don't attack! Wait, don't- too late." DVD sighed as a blast hit a cupboard. A bowl came flying out of it and landed at DVD's feet.  
  
Suddenly shells got an idea. "DVD, fill that bowl up with something! Maybe if we can get that Dragon to eat something, it will stop tearing everything apart!"  
  
DVD ran to a shelf and poured some cheerios into the bowl. Then he placed it on the table.  
  
Curious as to what was in the bowl, the Red eyes walked over. It sniffed at the bowl and gave it a suspicious look before leaning over and, keeping a close watch on DVD and Shells, began eating.  
  
Shells and DVD sighed. Then Shells looked at the tin that she had kept in her hands the whole time.  
  
"DVD, if I made this thing appear by pressing some sort of button on here, then all I have to do to make it go away is to do the smae thing, right?" Shells thought aloud.  
  
"It's worth a try." DVD said, sitting in a chair and leaning up against the table, still watching the dragon eat.  
  
Shells placed the tin on the flat surface of the table and began tracing over all the lines again, searching for the switch. After a few minutes of searching, the tin began to glow again, and Shells realized what the switch had to be.  
  
It was the square in the corner of the tin! The tin glowed brighter and brighter, but to their suprise, instead of the Red Eyes disappearing, something else appeared on the tin.  
  
At first, Shells couldn't figure out what it was, because it was all wrapped up in a bunch of blankets, but when it rolled over slightly, she recognised it as being Joey!  
  
"DVD, look!" Shells whispered. He looked up.  
  
"Whoa.... Weird... Is that...?" DVD asked softly.  
  
"It's Joey!" Shells whispered back excitedly. "Only.... Mini size!"  
  
The figure on the tin rolled over again, this time rolling completely off the tin away from them.  
  
"Oof!" They heard him mumble, still sleeping. "My pizza...."  
  
"Yup, it's Joey all right..." Shells grinned.  
  
"Hrm.... Huh?" Joey half woke up, pulling himself up so that he was mostly still leaning on the tin. "Hey... This isn't my room...."  
  
He looked around him slightly. Then he spotted the Red Eyes.  
  
"Whoa! What the...." Joey was completely awake now. he rubbed at his eyes for a second, then stared back at the red eyes. "Is there a duel goin' on here somewheres?"  
  
"No. He's just having a really early breakfast." DVD said. Joey whirled towards him, looking around. Then he realized that it wasn't "around" that he had to look. It was up. Doing so, he finally noticed DVD and Shells watching him.  
  
"AAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!" Joey ran and hid behind the tin. "I must still be dreamin'!!!" They heard him mutter to himself. "Dragons eating breakfast and giant people? What's goin' on here?"  
  
DVD looked at Shells. "I didn't mean to scare him...." DVD said, shocked.  
  
Joey looked out from behind the tin, his eyes wide. "Scare me? Whaddya mean scare me? I'm not scared, and nothin' youse say can stop THAT!" He said, trying to look brave.  
  
Shells giggled slightly. Joey hid behind the tin again. DVD was still staring.  
  
The Red Eyes looked up from it's meal. "Growr?" It growled questionally. It walked over to the tin and began sniffing around it.  
  
"Oh no... This is NOT going to help Joey not be scared of us." Shells whispered, trying not to let Joey hear.  
  
"Whoa!" Joey lept out from behind the tin as the Red Eyes nudged him in the shoulder. "Ok, that does it. This has GOT to be a dream. I am JUST dreamin' ...... WAKE UP JOEY!!!!!!!!!!!"  
  
Joey fell over as he ran across the tabletop, and the Red Eyes came over to him again.  
  
"Growr?" It asked itself again. Joey rolled over onto his back and stared up at the dragon that was towering over him.  
  
"This is NOT my day...." Joey said to himself, trying to scoot away. "Down Red Eyes.... Down!" To his suprise, it obeyed. It sat down on the tabletop and began watching him.  
  
"Uh.... Good Dragon..." Joey said shakily.  
  
Shells sudenly noticed that the tin had two squares, not one, and pressed the other one. The tin and the Dragon glowed for a moment, then the Red Eyes Black Dragon disappeared. Joey, Shells, and DVD let out a huge sigh of relief.  
  
"Joey?" DVD asked after a few minutes of silence, looking over at him and realizing that he had started wandering around the tabletop.  
  
Joey quickly turned towards DVD. "How da you know my name?" He demanded, stuffing something in his pocket.  
  
"Well I... Sorta...." DVD stammered, not sure what to say.  
  
"He just does." Shells answered for him. "You are famous, you know."  
  
"Wha? Whaddya talkin about?" Joey asked, bewilderment on his face.  
  
"Well, lets see, you got second place in duelist kingdom... That oughta count for something. That and you saved Yugi from a fire...Mostly, though, it's because you're Yugi's best friend." DVD said.  
  
Joey just stared at him. Then he grinned. "So I'm famous, huh? How famous?"  
  
"Um..... Well here, just look!" Shells pointed to the surface of the tin. Joey got up on top of it and looked at the picture.  
  
"Hey, cool! It's me! Neat! And with my Red Eyes in the background!" Joey sounded impressed with himself all of a sudden. "I think I like this dream."  
  
"Uh,.... Joey, can we ask you something?" DVD asked.  
  
Joey turned back to him. "Sure, I guess... What?"  
  
"Do you know anyone named Daricio?" DVD asked hopefully.  
  
Joey gave him a strange look. "Nope. Why?"  
  
"Um..... Never mind. I.... Uh..... Well, maybe you should go home now..... It's late...." DVD stammered.  
  
Shells nodded and pressed the square on the tin. Joey disappeared.  
  
DVD turned to her. "Shall we try the other tins?"  
  
***********************************************************************  
  
{Joey}  
  
Joey suddenly appeared back in his room standing on his bed. He immedietly hit his head on the low ceiling and sat down hard on the bed. He looked around, confused.  
  
"That sure was some dream.......very strange..." Joey muttered to himself, shaking his head. He shrugged and lay down. "Maybe I'll tell Yugi about it when I go over there tomorrow..."  
  
************************************************************************  
  
Ok, I just realized just how long this chappie is and the fact that I haven't updated in a while, so you all were waiting for this one... Sorry... I just get so carried away when I have fun... Hehehehe......  
  
Of course, to go along with the rest of the story, I not only put funnies in this chappie, I also slipped quite a few important details in. You won't be able to know what they are until you read more, but now you must wait until I finally decide to stop adding on to my next chappie and actually post it.  
  
Hehehehe..... Lotsa fun being weird...... Anywhos, gotta go and start writing the NEXT chappie!!!!! Bye!  
  
--Daricio 


	19. More Transporting, and Yugi's School Aga...

Hey again all!!!  
  
How are all of my loverly readers?  
  
Ok, first off, I noticed several mistakes and strange things in my last chappie as I read them over, but have decided that they really aren't that important to go back and fix, so if you notice or noticed them, just ignore them.... They are the result of the mind of the person that nobody would stop giving candy to. ^_^  
  
*Sings* I am the Candy queen! Young and sweet! Only Fourteeeeen!!!!!!!!! ^_^  
  
So, that said, enjoy the chappie!  
  
*****************************************************************  
  
{Shells}  
  
Shells and DVD ran up the stairs back to Daricio's room and began gathering up as many of her tins as they could find. Then they hurried back down the stairs and pilied them up on the table.  
  
Shells grabbed the one off the top and placed it in front of her.. It was Daricio's Tea tin.  
  
Shells and DVD prepared themselves for a monent, not sure of exactly what would happen.  
  
//What am I going to say?// Shells wondered to herself. She looked over at DVD who gave her a small nod. He was ready. Shells took a deep breath and pressed the square on the tin.  
  
It glowed slightly for a moment, then Tea appeared, fast asleep on the tin.  
  
Shells wondered for a moment why everyone she and DVD brought over were asleep, then she recalled that it was almost 10:00 at night. It only made sense that everyone was asleep. She should probably be asleep too. They should probably just ask Tea, then not do anymore until morning. She told DVD so. He agreed.  
  
Then DVD reached forward and nudged Tea with one finger. She mumbled softly in her sleep and curled up in a little ball.  
  
DVD nudged her again and she rolled over slightly, still mumbling softly. After a few moments, she opened her eyes wearily and sat up halfway.  
  
"Huh? Wha?" she wondered sleepily, rubbing her eyes with one hand. "Where am I?"  
  
She began looking around. She spotted and began staring at, what was to her, a huge bowl of cheerios near her.  
  
"What's going on here?" She asked herself.  
  
"Tea..." Shells said as softly as she could so that she wouldn't be startled. "Don't be scared or anything, but..."  
  
Tea looked around quickly, searching for the owner of the voice. When she saw Shells and DVD, she gasped and stood up quickly.  
  
"Oh...My....." Tea was shaking all over, not taking her eyes off of them. She slowly took a few steps away from them.  
  
"Uh... Hi." DVD said.  
  
Tea swayed slightly. "I...Uh.....Wha?" She started. Then she fainted.  
  
Shells and DVD looked at each other, shocked. They had never seen anyone faint before, so they had absoulutly no idea what to do.  
  
"Tea?" DVD asked, his voice shaking slightly. "Are you Ok?"  
  
Tea groaned softly but didn't move. DVD hesitated for a moment, then turned to Shells.  
  
"Uh..... I think she should go home now.... We'll ask her tomorrow...." He said as he reached over and tapped the square, making Tea disappear.  
  
Shells gathered up the remaining tins and, with DVD trailing after her, put them away upstairs. Then she said goodnight to DVD and got into bed.  
  
She tried as hard as she could, but no matter how hard she tried, she could not get to sleep. She stayed awake for hours, doing nothing but staring off into outer space in the general direction of the ceiling, and thinking about what she was going to say to the people from her favoite show. And their possible reactions.  
  
//Well, we already know that Joey was scared of us, and he doesn't know anything about Daricio. Tea.... Was most definetly scared of us.... I think Tristan would most likely be scared of us too.... Yugi might... But not as much as everyone else... He has Yami to help him.... Of course, Yami might be scared of us too, so.... And Seto Kaiba.....// Shells shook her head, still thinking.  
  
//Seto Kaiba would probably stay cool while he was here...maybe yell at us...// She grinned. //Then he'd probably get on the internet to figure out what in the world was going on. He'd get so into trying to figure it all out, he'd get himself sent to the nuthouse!!!// Shells giggled slightly.  
  
//Let's see.... I've mentioned Joey, Tea, Tristan, Yugi, Yami, Kaiba..... who else? ..... Oh, yeah... Mokuba! and Yugi's Grandpa.... And Bakura!// Shells suddenly remembered seeing Bakura at the hospital. //I.... I can ask him now!// She realized.  
  
She got up and went over to the desk. She took out a sheet of notebook paper and began to write down questions for everyone, especially Bakura.  
  
She stayed up for the next three hours, before finally realizing how tired she was and going to bed.  
  
//This is..... Very cool.// She thought idly as she drifted off to sleep, mentally reveiwing her list of questions.  
  
**********************************************************************  
  
{The next morning. Yami, then Yugi.}  
  
When Yami awoke the next morning, he looked at the little clock he kept in his dungeon-like soul room, then dashed to Yugi's room.  
  
"Yugi, wake up!" He called. "You're going to be late for school! Come on! Look at the time!"  
  
Yugi mumbled from his bed in the soulroom and from his bed in the real world. " Huh? Wha? What time.... Oh, no!"  
  
Yugi dashed out of bed, realizing that school started in about ten minutes. He raced around the room gathering up all his things, tripping over several of the Mad Magazine game pieces that had been left out on the way.  
  
He called a quick goodbye to Grandpa, who gave him a small wave from the doorway where he was sweeping again. Then Yugi grabbed a cereal bar and ran out the door.  
  
Yugi let Yami come out so he could run faster, but the late bell still rang before he could get inside and to his first period class. Yugi took over again and stood in the line that had formed in front of the attendance window.  
  
Looking ahead of him to see who else was late that morning, he spotted Tea. She looked like she hadn't slept well the night before and had been late to school as a result. She saw him in the line behind her and gave a small wave and a sheepish grin.  
  
The doors of the school banged open, and suddenly Joey came running in, breathing hard. Looking around, he realized that the bell had already rung and came and stood next to Yugi in line.  
  
"Hey Yuge..." Joey said softly.  
  
"Hi Joey." Yugi whispered back.  
  
"Why're you late?" Joey asked him.  
  
"Slept in.... you?" Yugi replied.  
  
"Um.... Slept in too.... Didn't sleep too well last night. Had a strange dream...." Joey said, sounding extreamly Fatigued.  
  
Yugi came up to the lady at the window.  
  
"Name?" She asked uninterestedly. Then she looked up, realized who it was she was talking to, and smiled sweetly. "Oh, Yugi Moto. Late today?"  
  
"Uh... Yeah." He said. The lady wrote him a pass and he waited off to the side for Joey to get his.  
  
//Hm.... Just a little famous are we?// Daricio teased him softly.  
  
//Oh, be quiet.....// Yugi sighed.  
  
//Fine.... Sorry, I didn't realize you weren't in the mood for teasing....// Daricio said, trying to keep a straight face. It wasn't working. She decided to shift subjects. //I wonder what's up with Joey and Tea? They look horrible today....//  
  
//I dunno. I'm going to ask him....// Yugi said.  
  
Joey walked up to him and shook his head as they started down the hall. "The lady knows YOU, but not ME..... You'd think that the second place winner would get just as much attention as the first place winner of the tournamant....." Joey said. But it was only half-heartedly. His mind was obviously on other things.  
  
"Uh, yeah... Joey, what's up? You seem really...." Yugi started.  
  
"Out of it? Yeah, a little I guess.... As I said, I didn't sleep well last night. I had the strangest dream, though...." Joey sounded distracted, like he was remembering the dream.  
  
"What was it?" Yugi asked.  
  
"I don't remember parts of it.... But.... Listen, I'll explain after school when I come over, Ok? I've gotta get to class, or I'll get into even more trouble than I probably am now. See ya." Joey rushed off into his class.  
  
Yugi stared after him for a second before going into his own class.  
  
//There is definetly something going on here. Joey is not acting like he normally does. That dream of his had to have been REALLY strange to get him to be acting like this.// Yami said, sounding worried.  
  
//Hmm... Time to concentrate on science now, Yami....// Yugi said, trying to change the subject so that he wouldn't be so worried.  
  
//You can. I'm going to rest for a while.// Yami said, retreating towards his soul room.  
  
//Ah. Don't like science, do you?// Daricio said with a smile.  
  
//Noooo..... Well.... Yes, but that's not the point.....// Yami went into his soul room.  
  
"Ok class, now that you have all gotten yourselves situated into your seats, it's time to start class. Today we will be..." She started blabbering on and on about scientific stuff.  
  
Yugi tried to pay attention, but for SOME reason, he was distracted by Daricio trying to sneak into the puzzle and play jokes on Yami.  
  
//Stop it. Get back in here.......// He called after her, trying to sound stern.  
  
//Sorry.// Daricio said with a grin, coming in and sitting on a bed that she had made appear in the room. Yugi could tell by the way she said it that she really wasn't.  
  
//You two are going to end up driving each other, and me, nuts!// Yugi said, exsasperated.  
  
//Sorry.// She said again.  
  
Yami frowned at her from the doorway and went back into the puzzle, locking the door this time.  
  
****************************************************************************  
  
{Shells}  
  
It was 8:00 in the morning. She would have been at school, but Mom had decided to let them visit Daricio again at the hospital.  
  
Shells got out her backpack and dumped all of her school supplies out of it onto the floor. Then she packed all of Daricio's tins, (And her Bakura one,) into it. She was about to sling it onto her back and carry it out to the car, when Jrj walked in.  
  
"Shells, why are you taking your backpack? We're not going to school today." He said, frowning at her pack.  
  
"I know, Jrj. I wanted to take some stuff with me...... You know, so that when we run out of things to do, we don't have to resort to turning on the TV." Shells said smoothly.  
  
"Oh. Right. Good idea." He turned from her and went into his and DVD's room to pack some things of his own. On his way in, he almost ran into DVD who was coming out.  
  
DVD went around Jrj and went into Shell's room. He closed the door. "Got them all?"  
  
"Yup. Every one....... But DVD, will the tins still work? Let's try out a tin really quick just to make sure we weren't just... I don't know... Dreaming or something." Shells suggested.  
  
"Ok, fine. We can try one out in the car too. Very quietly. Hopefully." DVD said.  
  
"No, not in the car. What if they scream? That would be real easy to explain to people. 'Oh, it's nothing, Mom. We just have... Mai or someone in the back of the car..." Shells reminded him.  
  
"Oh... Right... So, who should we bring right now?" DVD asked.  
  
"Probably the one who would be the least scared of us. Maybe...." Shells tried to think of the bravest Yu-Gi-Oh character.  
  
"I think.... Well... I would have said Joey, but.... Now.... I think maybe... Tristan...." DVD thought aloud.  
  
"Ok, that sounds good. I guess. Just a second." Shells began digging through the bag and pulled out the Tristan tin, and her list of questions. DVD spotted something in the bag.  
  
" Shells, you don't have to bring the tins of the people we already asked. We don't need the Joey tin..." DVD told her.  
  
"Yes we do. I have more questions for him." She said, waving her list on front of his face.  
  
"Fine, fine.... Whatever...." DVD said, turning to the tin on the floor. "It's Tristen time."  
  
Shells reached over and pressed the square on the tin. It glowed for a moment like all the others had done, then suddenly...  
  
****************************************************************  
  
{Yugi}  
  
Yugi tried to concentrate on his work and on what the teacher was saying. Daricio had finally decided that she would listen in too so that she wouldn't bug Yami so much. And so that she could still learn stuff at school even though she wasn't at her own school.  
  
//Uh, Yugi? What's it called when you're supposed to go to one school, and you go to another school? what're you then called again?// She wondered idly.  
  
//Um... A transfer student?// Yugi said, glancing over at Bakura who was sitting in desk a couple of rows away from him. //Like Bakura.//  
  
//Oh, right! That's what it is! Sorry. I'll pay attention to science now.// Daricio said shaking her head. //I get so off topic sometimes...//  
  
//Just pay attention.// Yugi said, slightly annoyed. They were supposed to be balancing chemical equations, and it wasn't his favorite thing to do.  
  
He glanced around the room at the different people working on their assignments. He stopped when he got to Tristen. //He seems to be figuring this out quite easily, even if he is being ignored by everyone.// Yugi commented to himself when he realized that Tristan was in a corner of the room, working hard. He felt bad that the science teacher hadn't let them pick their own seats and that she had put Tristan by himself in the corner.  
  
//Hmm.... Do you want some help with your work?// Daricio asked. //I can help.... I think.//  
  
//No thinks. I want to be able to figure this out... for... my....... What in the world?// Yugi stopped in the middle of his sentance.  
  
//What? What happened?// Daricio asked, looking through his eyes at what he was seeing. It was an empty chair. //What? It's just a chair, Yugi.//  
  
//Yeah, but.... It used to have Tristan sitting in it. He disappeared!//  
  
***********************************************************************  
  
{Shells}  
  
Tristan appeared on the tin and immedietly fell over. He had apparently just been sitting in a chair. Tristan quickly got up and began looking around. Shells and DVD had positioned the tin so that he had appeared facing away from them.  
  
"Wha? Ok, what's happening?" Tristan looked down at his clothing, then looked relieved at something. "Ok, I'm little, but I'm not dressed as Cyber Commando again.... So what's happening?"  
  
Shells couldn't help but giggle at the mention of Tristan: The Cyber Commando. Tristan heard her giggle and froze. He turned around very slowly.  
  
His eyes grew wide when he saw Shells and DVD.  
  
"Uh.... Hi..." DVD said.  
  
"Um.... Whoa... Hi?" Tristan stammered, his voice shaking slightly. "Who are you?"  
  
"I am DVD Jonesy, and this is my sister, Shells Jonesy." DVD said.  
  
"This is wierd...." Tristan commented.  
  
"Oh, yeah..." Shells said. "Definetly."  
  
"Tristan, we'd like to ask you some things..." DVD said.  
  
"Oh, great. I'm in a very BIG place, with very BIG people who I don't know, and they already know who I am. Go figure." Tristan said, looking from one to the other in astonishment.  
  
"Oh, well....um.." DVD looked at Shells. She decided to try the technique that she had done with Joey. Flattery.  
  
"You do know you're famous, right?" She asked him.  
  
"Um... So I'm famous in giant land... How?" Tristan asked.  
  
"Well.... You just are...." Shells could see that this was getting them nowhere. "Um, as we said, we have something to ask you..."  
  
"What?" Tristan said, still looking back and forth from DVD to Shells.  
  
Shells unfolded her list and set it on the floor next to the tin. "First off.... Do you know anyone named Daricio?"  
  
"Uh..... No.... What is this, some sort of game show?" Tristan asked, looking around the room again, possibly for a camera.  
  
"No.... we're just wondering stuff. Another thing we'd like to know is..." Shells started.  
  
THUMP  
  
THUMP  
  
THUMP THUMP THUMP THUMP THUMP!!!!!!!!!!!!  
  
"Oh great." DVD said, looking at his watch. It's time to go and Jrj is coming to get us! Let's go! Send him home! Hurry!"  
  
Shells reached forward and pressed Tristan's square after a very hurried, "See ya!"  
  
He disappeared. Two seconds later, Jrj burst into the room. "Come on you two! Are you comeing or are you going to go to school with a late pass?"  
  
"We're coming!" Shells put the tin and her list back into the bag and she and DVD got up quickly and left the room after Jrj.  
  
They all went down the stairs and piled into the car.  
  
***********************************************************************  
  
{Yugi}  
  
About a minute went by, and then Tristan appeared standing next to his desk. He looked confused for a moment, before shaking his head and sitting back down. Nobody else had even noticed except Yugi.  
  
Yugi continued staring at Tristan, until he got a soft reminder from Daricio that it would appear very strange to be staring at someone when you're supposed to be doing work. He looked down at his paper, but now he REALLY couldn't concentrate on it.  
  
//That was weird. Who could have... What could have... What happened?// He asked himself.  
  
//Maybe.... // Suddenly, it clicked in Daricio's mind. // Shells! And DVD! They must have figured out how to use the tins!//  
  
That did it. Yugi wasn't able to concentrate a single bit on his work. He looked up at the clock and saw that there was still about a half an hour of class left. He put away his work so that he would be able to concentrate on their conversation that he would be able to actually be in the soul room and talk normally.  
  
"So what do we do now? How will Shells and DVD know how to find you? Or are they just going to be bringing us over there all day asking us questions about our life?" Yugi wondered.  
  
"Somehow I doubt that they would do something like that." Daricio said, also talking normally now that Yugi was there in the room to talk to.  
  
"Why not?" Yugi said.  
  
"It's just not something they would do.... Of course, when I figured out how to work the tins, as you know, I was thrilled....." Daricio grinned. "It's fun talking to someone that you didn't know existed before...."  
  
"Not that it's exactly fun for them..." Yugi muttered to himself.  
  
Daricio's grin faded. "Right." She said, remembering what happened to Seto Kaiba. Yugi looked over at Tristan for a brief moment to see how he was handling it. Yugi couldn't tell. He was still working on his problems. He'd have to ask him later.  
  
"I wonder if they have brought anyone else over?" Daricio thought. "Any why aren't they in school?"  
  
"I guess we'll figure that out when they decide to try out that Yugi tin." Yugi replied.  
  
The hour long science period crawled slowly by, with Yugi finding several alternate things that he could say to Shells when she brought him over, with the help of Daricio. It seemed to take forever, but it finally did end.  
  
Yugi gathered up his books and tried to push through the crowd to get over to Tristan. In order to do so, however, he had to push his way against the general flow af traffic, and before he knew it, Tristan had passed by him and gone out the door, lost deep in thought.  
  
Yugi didn't have any other classes with him, so he would have to wait until after school to ask him about details of what had happened.  
  
Fortunetly, he did have his next class with Tea, so he could ask her why she and Joey were so tired today. He suspected that he already knew, but it was best to confirm it anyway.  
  
He went to his locker to exchange his books in preperation for his next class. As always, he thought the number in his head as he turned the combo lock.  
  
//55.... 92.....57.... There!// The locker opened up as it always did. Daricio, hearing the numbers immedietly recognised them and began laughing.  
  
//So THAT'S where those numbers came from!!// She said between giggles.  
  
//What are you talking about?// Yugi asked as he dumped his books into his locker. He sounded slightly annoyed.  
  
//You see, I was trying to open MY locker the other day, and for some reason, the combo didn't work! After a while, I realized that it wasn't my combo, it was someone else's!// She paused to giggle some more, then continued. //And the numbers you have for YOUR combo is the combo I was trying to use to open MY locker! That link thing must have...// She couldn't continue, because she was laughing too hard.  
  
//Oh.// Yugi said. //So? It's not that funny, Daricio.//  
  
//Yes it is.// She said stubbornly.  
  
Yugi sighed and started off towards his English class, trying to stay close to the edges and out of sight, just in case Shells chose that moment to bring him over. She didn't, and he stepped into his class and took his seat.  
  
*******************************************************************  
  
{Shells}  
  
It had been almost an hour and a half since they had left the house for the hospital. It had been just their luck to get caught in a traffic jam.  
  
"Mom, how long til we get there?" Shells asked, wanting to use the tins. As long as they were in the car, she knew that she wouldn't be able to do that.  
  
"Oh.... If this traffic keeps up, honey, probably about another half an hour. If it clears up, it will be even faster. Shells sighed.  
  
//A whole half an hour? Sheesh!// She sighed again and began staring out the car window, not really seeing the roads and things out there. To pass off the time, she began trying to remember what all the people she had brought over had been wearing.  
  
//Let's see. Joey was wearing.... I think that was some kind of night clothes... That would make sense, seeing as it was about.... 10:00 or so.... Tea was wearing a night gown..... And Tristan was wearing his school....uniform.... Oh, great! School! They have got to be in school right now!// She turned to DVD who was also staring off into outer space in the general direction of the window. She tapped him on the shoulder and he turned to her.  
  
"What?" He asked.  
  
"I just realized something about...... about the show." she said, so as not to raise their parent's suspisions.  
  
DVD raised an eyebrow. "Show? You mean... Oh, ok. I get it. What about it?" he asked again, taking a few seconds to figure out what she meant.  
  
"Well, the Yu-Gi-Oh charecters have to go to school, right?" She said with a meaningful look. He didn't get it.  
  
"Yeah.... And?" He asked.  
  
"So what time do you suppose their school starts? What do you think they'd be doing at about, oh say, 9:00 or 10:00 in the morning?" She asked.  
  
This time, DVD got it. "Ooooh... School. Duh!" He slapped his forehead. "Obviously. So..... Would ...uh...They have to wait until after school to...uh....do stuff?" DVD asked, really asking her if they would have to wait until after their school got out before they transported them over.  
  
Shells shook her head. "No, I wouldn't think so. I mean, they can still do stuff between classes, right?"  
  
"Well, yeah, but how would we know whether they are between classes or not?" He asked, slipping up the code a little. Jrj turned around in his seat to look at them and gave them a strange looking grin.  
  
"We?" He asked.  
  
"You know what I meant, Jrj." DVD said, turning red from anger at himself for giving it away.  
  
"No, actually, I don't. Elaborate." Jrj said, still grinning. "Are you pretending to be in the show again?"  
  
"No!" DVD said, embarrased all of a sudden at the mention of the stupid game he and Shells had made up a few weeks before. Shells elbowed him and he, grudgingly changed his answer. "Yes..." he muttered.  
  
Jrj gave himself a triumphant grin that said, "wait till all your friends find out," then turned back around in his seat and turned back to his gameboy, which was beeping at him softly.  
  
"Ok, so now I must abandon all of my dignity as well as all of my sanity because of this?" DVD whispered softly and slightly angrily to Shells.  
  
"Sorry. But, this really is important! One of those guys HAS to know something about what happened to Daricio! Especially Bakura!" She whispered back a little too loudly. Jrj rolled his eyes.  
  
DVD and Shells looked at each other. "Too bad we can't just communicate mentally, like Yugi and Yami..." DVD whispered. Shells nodded. "Let's just continue this...game...later, ok?"  
  
DVD nodded.He understood what she was saying. "Ok." he said. They wouldn't talk about it any more until they got to the hospital in... a whole half an hour.  
  
Shells went back to thinking about Yu-Gi-Oh while staring idly out the window. She thought about the charecters themselves. She thought about the storyline. She thought about the soulrooms.... soulrooms...  
  
//Soulrooms. Hmm... I wonder.... Yugi and Yami could actually talk mentally because they used their soul rooms! They could do it like that, because they have a link with each other! Me, Daricio, and DVD have a link with each other.... Maybe....// She concentrated as hard as she could. //Hey, DVD?//  
  
DVD jumped slightly and looked over at Shells. He gave her a funny look. "Did you have to yell?" He whispered, glancing at Jrj.  
  
Shells looked at him in astonishment. Then she grinned. //I didn't yell.// She thought to him. His eyes grew wide. //I used thought-speak!//  
  
DVD leaned back in his seat, still staring at Shells. "You figured out how to make it work?" He whispered excitedly.  
  
Jrj looked back at them and frowned. DVD turned red again. Jrj grinned and turned back.  
  
DVD leaned close to Shells. "How?"  
  
//We have a mental link, right? So just think a sentence in your mind and pretend that you are saying it to me, and I'll be able to hear it.... I think....// Shells directed him.  
  
He tried. Several moments passed before Shells heard something. //Is this working?// He asked.  
  
//Yes! yes! This is so cool!// Shells said, turning back to the window to stare off into outer space for a while so that Jrj wouldn't think anything was up. Shells heard DVD moving and guessed that he had done the same.  
  
There was silence between the two for a few minutes, as nobody could figure out what to say. they sat and listened to the beeps and music of Jrj's game. Then DVD broke the silence.  
  
//Did you ask Jrj what game he had brought along?// he asked.  
  
//No. Why?// Shells said, slightly confused.  
  
//No reason. Just wondering. The music is very strange.// DVD answered.  
  
//Yeah....// The two fell into silence once again.  
  
A few minutes later, it was Jrj that broke the silence with a loud, "Yes! Swords of Revealing Light! Now I can play it down, then use this Change of Heart... then.... Alright! I finally beat Joey!!!!" He pumped his fist in the air.  
  
//Oh. It's my Eternal Duelist's Soul game. Figures. He likes the idea of actually being able to face off against the characters.// DVD said, grinning.  
  
//If he only knew....// Shells said. They tried to keep from laughing out loud, but they couldn't help but giggle.  
  
Jrj turned around in his seat. "What? You think you can do better? I'd like to see you beat Yugi!"  
  
//Talk about playing "pretend we're actually in the show"... // DVD said, still trying to wipe the grin off his face and replace it with an innocent looking smile.  
  
It apparently wasn't working, because Jrj gave him a big "Hrmph!" and turned back in his seat, determined to ignore them.  
  
Shells and DVD mentally talked until they arrived at the hospital, almost an hour later.  
  
*********************************************************************  
  
{Yugi}  
  
Nothing much really happened in Yugi's English class beyond working non- stop on the book report, so Yugi was extremely glad when it was over. As were Daricio and Yami, who had woken up from his nap halfway through class.  
  
They, of course, had immedietly began debating the rules to the Duel Monsters game, as it differed slightly from her world to his world.  
  
"Well, back home, Kuribo is one of the hardest to get creatures in the game! It's a super rare! And I don't think you can actually use multiply on it to get a good defense!... I think."  
  
"Well, that's pretty dumb."  
  
"That's what I thought. Also.." It went on... and on... and on.... Until Yugi informed them that they were driving him nuts and told them they had to finish their conversation in YAMI'S soul room. So they did, and Yugi was left to battle the evils of the Proper writing formats by himself.  
  
After class, Yugi caught up with Tea.  
  
"Tea? Are you Ok?" He asked.  
  
"Hmm?" Tea asked. She hadn't even noticed that he had walked up beside her until he spoke. "Oh, hi Yugi." She said tiredly.  
  
He repeated his question. "Are you OK?"  
  
"Oh, yeah... I guess... Sorta." She replied.  
  
"What's up?"  
  
"I just couldn't get to sleep last night, that's all. Nothing big. You don't have to worry about me, really." Tea said, trying to duck away into the crowd towards her next class.  
  
Yugi shook his head slightly. //Ok, now she's acting like me. That means something is definetly wrong.//  
  
Yugi jogged forward and got in front of her. "Did it have something to do with a dream?" He asked. "Because that's what Joey said too. What's going on?"  
  
Tea looked down at the floor. "Ok, ok, your right. It was a dream. Um..." She looked at her watch. "But it's time to go to class! I'll tell you after school, ok? See ya!" She raced off into the crowd. Yugi stared after her.  
  
"Must have been some dream." Yugi thought to himself. "To get her to do that..."  
  
//My sister generally had that effect on people.// Daricio said from the doorway of the soulroom. //Are we allowed to come back in now? As interesting as the puzzle may be, it's cold in there! Plus it feels weird watching the puzzle shift around every couple of minutes.//  
  
//Ok, fine...// Yugi said, starting off towards his next class. Daricio and Yami stepped back into the soulroom.  
  
Yami was shaking his head. //I can't believe I didn't notice this before! I have apparently been spending too much time in here instead of observing the puzzle.//  
  
// It's Ok, Yami. At least Daricio knew about it and warned us, so we won't be suprised if Bakura shows up sometime.//  
  
//And if he does show up, he's outnumbered one to three and he doesn't even know it! Remember, we haven't told him what's been going on yet...// Daricio said.  
  
************************************************************************  
  
{End of Chappie Interlude. (Has nothing to do with story...sorta) : Seto Kaiba.}  
  
Seto was back in his giant computer room, working on data tables showing how much profit the company had made that year. He gritted his teeth as he stared at the screen.  
  
He had only been gone for two days, (It had taken him that long to get past all of the security at that annoying place) and that stupid idiot, Weevil Underwood, had still managed to unravel almost five months of his hard work.  
  
He had been able to work about half of it back together, but it was a very excrutiating experience. It was wasting his valuable time, and wearing away at his now very thin patience.  
  
Why the company had voted to have that nimrod put into place as the company head in his absence was beyond him. He should have them all fired. But then where would he be? Owning a company of one. No, two. Mokuba would still help him.  
  
Seto would have been able to get past the guards very easily, except that he had Mokuba with him. For some reason, Mokuba's cell, which was seperate from Seto's, was extreamly heavily guarded. It had taken him over half that one night to get him out of there.  
  
Seto shook his head, trying to get his weary mind to return to his work. But no matter what he tried, thoughts of padded rooms, Mokuba, and a very large girl kept straying into his mind, and after a while, he fell fast asleep at his computer console.  
  
*************************************************************************  
  
Ok, definetly a long chappie there... Definetly.... I think this thing had over 5,000 words in it... O.o *Falls over* I am definetly obsessed with this stuff..... Must....Have..... Break.....  
  
I know! I'll go in and do some updates on my other fic!........ *Runs off to other fic*....*Comes back* Oops, almost forgot to end this chappie.  
  
Ok, peoples, the next chappie may not come out for a while, as I am becoming totally braindead and need to be sent off to fill Seto's place in the nuthouse... O.o Did I just say that?  
  
Anyways, any ideas will be appreciated. I have a good idea for a main plotline here, but I need some minute details or else my fic is going to become slightly boring... So, see ya!  
  
(Also, for those of you who have not read my little brother's fic, "Poke Duel Monsters," please read it! It is very funny.... It's an insanity fic.... Also you can get details on a little contest we are doing in the last chappie entitled, "Very long Chappie of Randomness" or something like that...)  
  
Ok, that said, you may now return to your originally programmed fanfictions. Thank you! 


	20. Questions for The Kaiba Brothers and two...

Hey again all!  
  
I hope you really liked my last chappie.... Cause you HAD to have had fun reading it over and over and over while waiting forever for this one to get out!!!  
  
Sorry that this HAS taken so long to get out... I do have a life beyond FF.N, right? Actually no, I don't, but my school teachers seem to think I do, and so had schedualed Finals week for the semester to begin the week RIGHT after I began writing this chappie.... So, in other words, I've been kinda busy lately... : P By the time Iwas finally able to finish the chappie and get it posted, it had taken me over 5 days to do it! So sorry for all those peoples who have been waiting for this!  
  
Just in case any of you were wondering.... Yes, I was sugar high while I wrote that last chappie.... But I promise things will not get too random in this chappie... *Looks over at disapointed looks from readers* um... Ok, fine... Randomness!!!! (Just with a little more storyline this time.)  
  
And if anyone noticed, yes Tea was VERY OOC in that last chappie... Sorry....  
  
If any of you were wondering what in the world the "Contest" I was talking about at the end of last chappie meant and were too lazy to read through my little brother's whole fic to find it, all it is, is that my brother seems to think his fic is better than mine. His proof? He has more reviews than me even though I have... 19 chappies? Oh, wait, 20 now... and he has, like, 12 or 13... I keep telling him, insanity fics always get more reviews than normal ones, but will he listen to me? Nooo... So we're having a contest. Whoever gets the most reviews, has the better story. (He's winning by one review at this moment of time that I am writing this. It's 49 to 48... So please review on this chappie!!!)  
  
Ok, not that any of you were really interested in knowing that... You all just want me to shut up and get on with my fic... So, to the delight of viewers, (I mean "readers") all across the Yu-Gi-Oh portion of the fanfiction site, We now interupt the fictions to bring you... *Drumroll* "Where's Yugi?"!!!(Yes, I know, I know, the title doesn't match the story anymore.... Oh well!)  
  
On with the fic!  
  
********************************************************************  
  
{Shells}  
  
They reached the hospital. They finally reached the hospital. After a long and grueling drive, they finally reached the hospital. Ok, maybe that's an over exageration, but it was a very long boring ride. Shells would have jumped for joy, but she knew that her Mom would think she was on a sugar high. They all went up to Daricio's room and placed themselves in the chairs surrounding the bed.  
  
Shells and DVD looked at each other. Even without using the mind link communication, they both had the same thought.  
  
//Not in here. Outside in the gardens.//  
  
Shells waited for a while, staring at Daricio, then got up and went over to Mom. "Can me and DVD go out to the little garden in the front of the hospital?" She asked.  
  
Mom looked up. "Sure." She said softly, her voice barely more than a whisper.  
  
Shells and DVD went out the door and stood at the elevator. As they waited for it to come, Shells stared down the hall towards Bakura's room. The elevator arrived, and she had to stop the wanderings of her mind. They went down the elevator and into the garden.  
  
They looked around quickly for a hidden spot. Finally they found a bench that was mostly surrounded by bushes. They sat down on it and Shells pulled out all of the tins. She began putting them all into two piles. The "Already done" ones, and the "Need to do" ones.  
  
In the "Already done" pile were: Joey, and Tristan. In the "Need to do" pile were: Mokuba, Seto, Tea, Mai, and Bakura.  
  
DVD pulled down the tin on the top of the pile, the Mokuba tin. He looked over at Shells.  
  
//Ready?// He asked, biting his lower lip nervously.  
  
//As ready as I'm going to be.// She answered. She reached out and pressed the square. Mokuba popped out.  
  
He looked around nervously for a moment, then called out. "Hello?" He, being the little explorer that he was, immedietly began walking around looking at everything. "Hello?"  
  
"Uh, Hi Mokuba." DVD said. Mokuba looked up. Waaaay up.  
  
"Wha!" Mokuba gasped when he spotted them.  
  
Shells tried to put on a smile that she thought wouldn't scare him. "Hi." she said.  
  
"Who... Who are you?" He demanded loudly.  
  
Shells quickly looked around to see if anyone had noticed them and turned back to Mokuba. "Not so loud, ok?" She whispered.  
  
Mokuba looked at her strangely. "Why not? Are you in trouble or something?"  
  
"No!" DVD said. "Of course not!"  
  
"Oh, yes you are. I can tell." Mokuba said with a smirk.  
  
"Oh yeah? How?" DVD asked, frowning.  
  
"Cause that's how Joey always sounds when he gets into trouble with Big Brother. And guess what? When I get back home, guess who else is going to be in trouble with Big Brother!!!" Mokuba said, sitting down indian style on the edge of the tin and crossing his arms, still glaring up at them.  
  
"We're not in trouble, Ok? Especially not with Seto!" DVD said, sounding a little upset that someone that was, at the moment, only three inches tall, was insulting him.  
  
Mokuba gave them a funny look. "How do you know mine and Big Brother's names?" He asked suspiciously.  
  
"Well, it's kind of hard NOT to know who Seto Kaiba and his little brother are." DVD said.  
  
Mokuba nodded. "I guess you're right. Now. I have a few questions for you. First off, Where am I?"  
  
Shells and DVD looked at each other again. Then Shells spoke. "Uh, Mokuba, I'm not sure you'd know where it was even if we told you..."  
  
Mokuba looked slightly hurt. "Are you saying I don't study hard enough?! I'll have you know, that geography is my favorite subject! As long as you don't name, like, small cities, I'd know where it was."  
  
DVD and Shells still didn't know what to say.  
  
"Uh.... Then would you know where the United States of America are?" DVD asked.  
  
Mokuba gave him a funny look. "Duh. What do you think I am, stupid or something? Are you guys nuts?"  
  
"Someimes I wonder..." DVD muttered under his breath.  
  
//The Yu-Gi-Oh world must be an almost exact replica of our own world! The countries probably have the same names, but the individual cities don't.// Shells told DVD.  
  
//That sounds right.// DVD said. //But then, where do we tell them that we live?//  
  
//I don't know... Maybe if we say-// Shells was cut off suddenly by Mokuba.  
  
"Why do you keep staring at each other every time I say something?" Mokuba demanded. Suddenly he grinned. "Do you LIKE each other?"  
  
"He's my brother, Mokuba." Shells said, giving him a strange look.  
  
"Oh." Mokuba sounded disappointed. "I thought... cuz Seto is always looking at this one girl in his Math class, and he likes her... Oops, I almost told Seto's big secret...."  
  
"Never mind, Mokuba." Shells said. "Uh, the reason you are here, is because we wanted to ask you something..."  
  
Mokuba shifted on the tin into a different sitting position. "What?" He said, trying to sound like Seto.  
  
"Do you know anyone named Daricio?" Shells asked.  
  
Mokuba thought for a moment. "Why?" He asked, not answering the question.  
  
"Because..." Shells hesitated. Without turning to DVD, she contacted him.  
  
//Should I tell him? I don't think he'll answer the question if we don't.// Shells said.  
  
//Uh... Sure, I guess... It won't hurt any.// DVD replied.  
  
"Well, you see, Daricio is our sister. We... we can't find her, and the only clue she left as to her whereabouts were that..." Shells stopped to try to explain, then thought of something that would make sense to him more than 'the Yu-Gi-Oh characters.' " That either Yugi, Seto, you, Mai, Tristan, Joey, or Tea would know anything about where she went." She finished.  
  
Mokuba looked thoughtful. He didn't say anything for a while, then he shook his head. "Sorry, I don't know her... or what might have happened to her."  
  
"Oh... Um... Thanks anyways.... Uh..." Shells was very disapointed. She had thought for SURE that he had known something.  
  
Mokuba got up from the tin and stood up as straight as he could. "So, I answered your question, now you answer mine!"  
  
"Uh.... Are you sure you don't want to ask a different question?" DVD asked.  
  
Mokuba shook his head hard. "Answer!"  
  
Shells sighed. "I think that, wherever you are right now, it would still be best for you to go home now." She informed him, reaching for the square.  
  
"What are you doing? Why won't you answer my question?" Mokuba demanded.  
  
Shells' finger hovered over the button. "Uh... Because we really don't know how to tell you... And it's time for you to go. We have to ask other people now. Bye, Mokuba."  
  
"Wait! If I don't get to have that question answered, then I-" His indignant shout was abruptly cut off as Shells hit the square and he disappeared.  
  
*****************************************************************  
  
{Very short interlude: Seto Kaiba}  
  
Seto Kaiba was still fast asleep at his computer console, which was flashing a message. "You Have Mail." Seto didn't see it of course, as he was asleep. Nor would he have cared about it even if he was awake. It's not good to check and answer messages when you're supposed to not be there.  
  
The message flashed again. And again. And again. Waiting for someone to aknowledge that it was there. Waiting... Waiting...Waiting.........waiting..................waiting...............wai ting.........  
  
Seto Kaiba's AI on his computer automatically switched itself on after twenty minutes of the message's arrival.  
  
"Hello? Hello? Earth to Seto Kaiba!!!" Came the sassy voice. Seto opened his eyes halfway and turned his head just enough to be able to look up towards the screen at the message. His mind was groggy from lack of sleep and too much work in one night, and he was still not sure of where he was.  
  
The AI, now slightly annoyed at his lack of response, opened a small animation clip. "Hey Kaiba! Hey Kaiba! Hey Kaiba!!!!!" The dancing bunnies that were now all over his screen sang.  
  
"What!?" He yelled, pushing himself off of his desk and standing up quickly..  
  
"You have Mail, Kaiba!" The AI siad, shutting off the clip. " Aren't you going to read it? Or are you hiding again?" His AI's voice asked, refering to the time Kaiba had needed to sneak into the underground lab after almost being captured by Pegasus's goons.  
  
"It would be much appreciated," Kaiba yawned. "If you would not talk about that or play that clip anymore. Erase it. And no, I am not going to read the mail. Save it in my inbox for me."  
  
"Right away, sir!" The AI chirped. A moment passed before it added, "Except the erasing of the clip."  
  
Kaiba growled softly and began looking over the screen. There was something missing. He could feel it. He gave the screen one final glance, then realized what it must have been. He double checked with his AI.  
  
"Was I working on something last night?" He asked.  
  
"Oh, yes. You were doing a BIG report of the company's profits. Kinda silly, though, as you had already done that five months ago. Also kinda silly that you decided to exit it without saving it." The AI said with a hint of sarcasm, knowing that Seto hadn't meant to do that.  
  
Kaiba swallowed hard. "Without saving." He repeated. He stared at the screen again. "That means..."  
  
"All gone, Seto. You erased it all. It no longer exists in the hard drive." It paused for a second. "You'll have to do it AAALLL over again."  
  
Kaiba groaned. It had taken him most of the night to do up just half of the report!  
  
"I'm going to kill you..." He muttered to the AI as he opened the software, pulled up KaibaCorp's records and began redoing it all from scratch.  
  
"I love you too, Kaiba." The AI replied.  
  
********************************************************************  
  
{Shells}  
  
//Ok, which tin should we do next?// Shells mentally asked DVD.  
  
//Just the next one on the pile! Seto Kaiba!// DVD replied, pulling it down.  
  
//Maybe we don't need to do that one. I mean, we did just do Mokuba. If Mokuba doesn't know her, what makes you think Seto will?// Shells said.  
  
DVD gave her a strange look. //Well, we have to make sure... What if he DOES know something?//  
  
Shells sighed. "You're right." She said softly aloud. //Let's go!//  
  
DVD grinned at her and pressed the square on the tin. Seto appeared and fell over, as Tristan had done. He had also been sitting in a chair.  
  
Seto stared at the space directly ahead of him for a second, as if confused that whatever he had been looking at had disappeared. Then he quickly looked arund, just as everyone else they had brought over had done and spoke just two sentances. "Oh, no. Not here again...."  
  
Shells looked quickly at DVD who grinned. "You've been here before?" He asked exitedly.  
  
Kaiba looked up at him and got to his feet. He glared at DVD and Shells. "Why do you want to know?" He demanded.  
  
//It's amazing just how much Mokuba acts like him.// Shells said to DVD, recalling Mokuba's reaction. He wasn't paying attention to her observations.  
  
//I think that with Seto, there's not going to be much beating around the bush. We should just tell him, straight out what's happening and what we wanted to ask him.// He said.  
  
//Oh. Good idea.// Shells said.  
  
"Seto, we really need to ask you something. It's really important." She told him. He looked up at her suspiciously, just as Mokuba had done.  
  
He sat down on the tin with a thoughtful expression on his face. He was in the exact same position Mokuba had shifted himself into when he was told that they were going to ask him a question.  
  
Shells shook her head as her previous observation came back to her. She smiled.  
  
"What?" Kaiba asked. "What's your question, and how important is it? Answer the second question first."  
  
"Uh... It's VERY important." DVD said.  
  
Kaiba raised an eyebrow and frowned. "Ok. What is it?"  
  
Shells told him the same thing she told Mokuba about their sister being lost. "So we need to know if you know our sister or not, or where she is."  
  
Kaiba narrowed his eyes. "And who is she?"  
  
"Her name is Daricio." DVD said.  
  
Kaiba winced at the name. "Somehow, I just knew it. Only siblings of Daricio could be as annoying as her."  
  
DVD grinned. "So you know her?"  
  
Kaiba got up from where he was sitting and began pacing the tin. "Yes, but that doesn't mean I know where she is." He said, his feet making a clanging sound every time they hit the tin.  
  
Shells' and DVD's smiles faded. "You don't know..." DVD said softly.  
  
Kaiba stopped his pacing and stood staring at the picture on the tin. "Although...I might be able to help..." He started. Then he shook his head and glared up at DVD.  
  
"Why would I want to help the siblings of the person that started this whole mess?" He demanded.  
  
DVD and Shells looked at each other, confused. "Mess? What's going on, Kaiba?" Shells asked.  
  
Seto directed his glare on her. "Oh, nothing much." He said sarcasticly. "Only that... Oh, never mind. It'll take too long. The point is, why should I help you? I have better things to do!" He began pacing the tin again. "Such as working on that report.... And checking up with Mokuba... and.." His voice trailed off.  
  
//That's a good question. why should he help us?// Shells asked solemly.  
  
//Well, we can blackmail him....... Sorta...// DVD said, a ghost of a grin apparent on his face.  
  
//Blackmail? What do you mean?// Shells said, confused.  
  
//All we have to do is....either we show him that we have the means to take Mokuba from him.... No, that would be too mean... So instead, we can just tell him that if he doesn't tell us... Then we'll...// He told her of his plan. Slowly, a grin appeared on her face, matching the one on his. It didn't take Kaiba long to notice that something was up, so he interupted them.  
  
"Ok, two questions. One, what are you two planning? You're both grinning like idiots!" He said. Then he added softly, "Which isn't a bad description..." Then he went on with what he was saying. "Two, How in the world am I supposed to get home?"  
  
Shells chose to ignore his first question. "Home?" She asked, countering with her own question. She checked her watch. "Shouldn't you be in school?"  
  
Kaiba glared at her. "No." He said simply.  
  
Shells grinned. "Why not? Everyone else is in school...."  
  
"Mokuba's not." Seto said.  
  
"He doen't count. You probably made him not go to school today." Shells countered.  
  
"Yeah!" DVD said, getting himself into the argument.  
  
Seto glared at them both. "No I didn't. We were busy."  
  
"I bet you were not! You kept him home!" DVD said.  
  
"No I didn't!" Seto growled. DVD was pressing on his nerves.  
  
"Yes you did!" DVD said, grinning widely.  
  
"I. Did. Not." Seto sat down on the edge of the tin again while he talked, glaring at DVD the whole time.  
  
"Did too!" DVD said.  
  
"Did not." Seto growled again.  
  
"Did so!"  
  
"Did not."  
  
"Did so!"  
  
"Did not."  
  
"Did so!"  
  
"I. Did. Not!" Seto said slowly, his eyes flashing. He brought his fist down hard on the tin beside him. It just HAPPENED to land on one of the two squares. It glowed brightly.  
  
Seto gasped and jumped off. It was just in time, too, for about one second later, a huge Blue Eyes White Dragon appeared. (Huge to Seto, that is.)  
  
The Blue Eyes looked quickly around then spotted Seto. Seto narrowed his eyes at it. He pulled his deck out of his pocket slowly and began looking through it. He could only find two of his three Blue Eyes White Dragon cards.  
  
He ran forward and slapped his fist down on the square again and the huge dragon disappeared. Seto went through his deck again, and was relieved, yet confused, to find all three of the cards.  
  
He turned to DVD. DVD grinned at him. "Did too."  
  
Seto glared at him for a moment before he spoke. "Shut up."  
  
DVD did shut up, but continued grinning.  
  
Shells sighed. "Just when you think you've seen it all, your brother gets Seto Kaiba to participate in a childish argument about stupid things..." she said softly. This resulted in both DVD and Seto turning to glare at her.  
  
"What?" She asked innocently.  
  
"We're not deaf, you know." Seto said harshly.  
  
"I know." Shells said simply. "Listen, we are way off topic here. We really need to know anything we can about Daricio."  
  
Seto glared at her some more. "So, you bring me here, you ask a bunch of questions, you insult me, you set one of me own Blue Eyes White Dragons against me, and now you want me to help you. Again I ask, why should I?"  
  
//Time for that blackmailing DVD...// Shells said.  
  
//Ok.// DVD said, grinning.  
  
"I have a really good reason for you to tell us anything you know about Daricio." He told Seto.  
  
Seto narrowed his already narrow eyes at him. "Like what?" He challenged.  
  
"Like... If you don't, I'll tell Mai that you really really really really like her." DVD said. Seto's eyes widened, and his mouth fell open.  
  
"I do not!" Seto shouted.  
  
"I know. And you know. But does SHE know? Oh, how the rumors would spread, though...." DVD grinned evily. "Like wild fire...Seto and MAI.. Sitting in a tree!"  
  
Seto was staring in shock. "You can't do that!" He said. He sat down heavily on the edge of the tin.  
  
"I can, and I will." DVD said.  
  
"You... Wouldn't... Dare." Seto said slowly.  
  
"Yes... I... Would." DVD said just as slowly. "Unless you tell us EVERYTHING you know about Daricio and where she might be."  
  
Seto's glare returned. "Fine. When Daricio brought me over, as far as I know, the only other person she brought over was... Yugi" Seto said, spitting out the name like it was something vile. Of course he always did that whenever he had to mention the names of Yugi or his friends, so that wasn't much of a surprise.  
  
"Thank you." Shells said.  
  
"Can I go home now?" Seto asked, crossing his arms. "Or are you not done torturing me?"  
  
"You can go. Bye." Shells said.  
  
"How?" Seto growled.  
  
Shells reached forward and pressed the square that sent him home. Then she turned to DVD.  
  
//Ok, now what?// She asked.  
  
//Duh. We bring Yugi over.// DVD said.  
  
//I know THAT, I meant should we bring him over now, or later? I mean, he IS still in school, even if Kaiba and Mokuba weren't.// Shells said.  
  
//Oh. I think we should just do it right now. We don't know how long we're going to be able to stay here, because if we stay here too long, someone will find us. So if we don't do it now, we might not be able to until we get home.// DVD said.  
  
//Right. Ok, let's do it then!// Shells said.  
  
DVD reached into Shells' backpack and began rummaging around. After a few moments, he stopped and stared into it. He pulled every single tin out of the bag.  
  
//Shells, we have a problem.// He said.  
  
//What?// Shells asked.  
  
//The Yugi tin isn't here! We must have left it back at the house!// DVD said.  
  
//Ok, so what do we do instead?// Shells asked.  
  
//Um... Let's go inside and warm up. It's frozen out here!// DVD said, shivering.  
  
//It's not that cold.// Shells said. //But yeah, let's go inside.//  
  
They gathered up all the tins and put them back into the backpack. Then they headed inside the hospital.  
  
*************************************************************  
  
{Yugi ( Took me long enough to get to him, huh?)}  
  
Strangely, with Yugi spending the day completely tense and ready to be transported off to somewhere else all of a sudden, the rest of the school day went by quickly and before he knew it, the school bell had rung and he was out the door and on his way home.  
  
//Something's wrong.// Daricio said to herself.  
  
//Oh, yeah. Tell me about it.// Yugi said back. //This is stressful.//  
  
//No, that's not what I mean. Something's wrong with Shells and DVD. Even if they went through every other tin I have, it shouldn't have taken them this long to get to the Yugi tin.// Daricio said.  
  
//Oh. Well, it can't be that bad.// Yugi said. //I mean, if they could figure out how to even transport people over in the first place in that amount of time, they can do lots of stuff... hey, where's Joey, Tristan, and Tea? They're not here! Where are they? Yami!!//  
  
A few moments went by before Yami replied, for he had been sleeping. //What?//  
  
//Do you know if Joey and Tristan had sports practice today?// Yugi asked.  
  
//I don't think they did. Why would Joey ask to come over the the game shop if he had sports practice to go to?// Yami reasoned.  
  
//Then where could they be?// Yugi sounded worried.  
  
//Hey, Joey will be coming over soon, and knowing Tristan, he will want to tell you what's going on, so he probably will too.// Yami said.  
  
//Right. Oh man, I've got to get home! I forgot to do my chores yesterday, so I have to get those done, plus we still need to clean up that game from last night!// Yugi started running for the shop.  
  
//Hey, Yami?// Yugi heard Daricio ask Yami as he ran.  
  
//Yes?//Yami replied to her.  
  
//I was wondering, you know how, uh.... whenever you go outside of Yugi and you turn slightly see through?// Daricio asked, trying to figure out how to word her question.  
  
//You mean when I take a temporary physical form?// Yami asked.  
  
//Yeah. Is that what that's called?// Daricio asked.  
  
//Yes. What about it?// Yami asked.  
  
//Well, when you go into your, uh, temporary physical form, can you still pick things up?// Daricio asked.  
  
//Yes, I can still pick things up. I think I know where you're going with this, Daricio. You want to help Yugi with his chores, right?// Yami said.  
  
//Right. Can you teach me how to go into that temporary physical form?// Daricio asked.  
  
Yugi grinned as he ran. Today, doing his jobs was going to be fun. Yami began his "physical form" lessons with Daricio.  
  
//It's a fairly simple process. I even taught Yugi how to do it!//  
  
************************************************************************  
  
{Shells}  
  
After spending several hours inside, she and DVD were about to go out again, when Mom decided it was time to go home.  
  
"Why?" Shells asked.  
  
"Because, I asked Suzie to bring over your guy's homework and I'm sure you have lots of it. the moment we get home, you can start working on it." Mom said.  
  
So, with several groans, they all piled into the car again to have an hour long drive back home.  
  
Shells pulled off her backpack and threw it onto the seat next to her, then she sat down. She realized that DVD would have to sit next to her, so she pushed it off the seat and onto the floor and scooted into the seat it had occupied to let DVD sit in the one she had been occupying.  
  
The car started, they all put their seatbelts on, and they drove away.  
  
//Ok, the moment we get home, come up to my room.// Shells told DVD.  
  
//So that we can do our homework together. I know, I know.// DVD sighed.  
  
//Well, that's what we'll tell Mom. But really...// She gestured slightly to the backpack on the floor of the car.  
  
//Right.// DVD said. No sooner had he said that, then the car did suddenly take a really wide right turn. Everyone was pressed towards the left side of the car and loose items slid left.  
  
//Uh... Who's up for left?// DVD said. Shells laughed. After a while, silence fell upon the inhabitors of the car. The only thing breaking the silence was the dueling music coming from Jrj's Gameboy Advance. And another small sound.  
  
Shells and DVD noticed it at the same time.  
  
//What is that? I can't really hear it... It's too soft.// DVD said. They both strained to hear it and figure out what it was coming from. Nobody else seemed to have noticed.  
  
The sound got a little louder, but not much. It seemed to be words.... Someone saying something very softly. So softly, that Shells and DVD couldn't quite hear what exactly was being said, or by whom.  
  
The sound got even louder. DVD looked up at Jrj. He still hadn't noticed, as his attention was on the game. Mom and Dad hadn't noticed either.  
  
The sound didn't get any louder after that. In fact, if anything, it got quieter. After a while, it was gone completely.  
  
//What was that? Where was it coming from?// Shells asked.  
  
//It sounded like it was coming from the floor.// DVD said, confused.  
  
//Yeah... Weird...// Shells said. She picked the backpack up off the floor so they could look around. As soon as she did so, the noise started up again, though this time even louder. Shells and DVD could make out the individual words.  
  
"Hey, whoa! What? Argh! Get off of me!" One voice, a girl's, said.  
  
"I'm not on you! You're on me!" Another voice, a boy, said.  
  
"No, you both are on me!" Yet another boy's voice said.  
  
"Get off!" The girl yelled.  
  
"I would if I could, but I can't! There's no room!!! and HE'S still on me!" The first boy said.  
  
"I am not! Get off!" The other voice said. Shells realized what must have happened.  
  
//Oh, no! That big right turn must have hit some of the squares!// She reached to open the backpack to hit the squares on the tins and send them all back again.  
  
Suddenly a roaring sound overpowered all of their voices.  
  
"AAAAh!!!!" The girl, Tea, screamed.  
  
"Red Eyes!" The first boy, Joey yelled.  
  
"Get out of the way!" Tristan yelled.  
  
"I can't! Tea, move!"  
  
"There's no room!"  
  
"Get out of the way!"  
  
"AAAAH!!!"  
  
A whirring sound was heard, then a sidepocket of the backpack had a hole blown in the side of it and the inferno fire blast that created the hole hit DVD in the leg.  
  
"Wha!" DVD yelped.  
  
"What's going on back there?" Mom asked.  
  
"Playing a game.. Just a game... it's nothing." DVD said, clenching his teeth together and holding his leg with both hands.  
  
"Be more quiet please." Mom said.  
  
"Ok..." Shells said, opening the backpack and pulling out as many tins as she could get her hands on, being careful not to hit anyone.  
  
"Whoh! What the?"  
  
"Light!" Tristan said. "over here!"  
  
Shells saw the three poke their heads out from behind a tin. the Red Eyes was still glaring around, threatening to blast everyone away.  
  
"Haven't you been enough trouble?" Shells asked the Red Eyes in a small voice, She grabbed the Joey tin and hit the Red Eyes's square. It disappeared. Tea, Tristan and Joey stared at where it had been standing.  
  
Shells pressed the other square, and Joey disappeared.  
  
"Joey? wha?" Tea said.  
  
"What did you do with Joey?" Tristan demanded.  
  
"Shh.. Quiet, or I'm going to get in trouble." Shells whispered. She grabbed the Tea tin and pressed the square on it.  
  
Tristan looked around him quickly. "Tea?" He realized that she too had gone. Shells grabbed the Tristan tin and was about to hit the button, when DVD motioned to her that she should probably exlain what had happened to Tristan. She shook her head.  
  
//I'll explain to them later, ther's no time now! Mom's going to hear!// She said. She pressed the square, and Tristan disappeared with a small yelp of surprise.  
  
Shells let out a small sigh of relief. //Next time, we have to be more careful about what we let happen to these tins.// she said. She began putting them into the backpack carefully. Then she set the backpack on the seat next to her so it wouldn't get jostled.  
  
//That was close.// DVD said.  
  
//You bet it was...// Shells replied with a sigh.  
  
****************************************************************  
  
Ok, Must end chappie... Too long now... Took too long to write it... Stupid Finals.... very frusterating.... and annoying... and..... stressful.... *shudders* : P  
  
So, I hope you enjoyed this chappie! Lotsa fun! Being really mean to Kaiba! Which reminds me.... I guess I can't end the chappie yet, for I must do a nice little End of Chappie interlude! read on!:  
  
****************************************************************  
  
{End of Chappie Interlude: Seto Kaiba}  
  
It was a good thing Seto had sat down before he got transported back, or he would have ended up standing on the chair in his computer lab when he got brought back. He shook his head, and looked up at the screen. His work was still sitting there, waiting for him to get it done.  
  
"So that's how...." he said to himself, answering the question that he had just asked moments before.  
  
He began working on the report once again. After about five seconds, he was interupted by his AI.  
  
"What just happened Seto? Where did you go? Are you testing out another invention?" It asked quickly.  
  
"Be quiet." Seto said. "I really need to concentrate on this."  
  
"But... What just happened?" The AI asked, being very persistant, just as it had been programmed to do.  
  
"Nothing of your concern. Shut down for now." He told the AI.  
  
"Are you sure? If you shut down now, you may lose precious data..." The AI informed him, just as it did every time he asked it to shut itself down.  
  
"Just do it and quit putting it off." Seto snapped.  
  
"How would you feel if someone told YOU to shut yourself off?" The AI replied.  
  
"Not now. I'm busy." Kaiba grumbled.  
  
"Fine. Shutting down. Shutting down.......All systems.... shutting down..." The AI said.  
  
Kaiba whipped his head up. "No, not ALL systems, just the AI! JUST THE A-" But he was too late. The whole screen went black and Seto lost the information and work that he had JUST been putting in for the last hour.  
  
Seto groaned and began pounding one fist lightly and rhythmetically on the desk, the other hand holding his head.  
  
"Does that AI hate me or something?" He asked himself softly, booting up the computer again. A message popped up: "You lost data when the last time you shut down, because you did not shut down correctly."  
  
"I know." He growled at the screen. "That's obvious."  
  
He waited impatiently for the computer to finish booting; it always took a long time to boot when he didn't shut it down the right way because of all the tests it ran itself through.  
  
Along with the normal booting up of the screen, came the unfortunate rebooting of his AI.  
  
"Hello, Seto! Did you miss me?" The AI's sassy voice said cheerfully.  
  
"I really am going to kill you one of these days." Seto growled.  
  
"I know. And I still love you too." The AI replied.  
  
************************************************************************  
  
Ok, bye! ^_^  
  
--Daricio 


	21. Bakura!

Hey everyone!!!!  
  
Yay!!! I gotta lotta reviews!!!!!! *Huggles everyone* Yay! I am now beating DVD by... two reviews!!!!!!! Yippy!!!! my fic is better than hiiiiiis!!!! ha! *Sits in a corner feeling happy*  
  
*Comes out of corner*  
  
Ok people! Today, (Not right off, but somewhere) I am going to take the readers into the one POV that can really answer quite a few, (What am i talking about, a little, I mean a lot!!!) of questions..... Bakura!!!!! *Has to wait for two hours to begin chappie because of all the clapping and cheering*  
  
Ok, so now that you know that loverly detail, on with the chappie!!!  
  
**********************************************************************  
  
{Shells}  
  
Half an hour after the incident with the tins, Shells and DVD were still keeping a very close watch on the backpack and it's important contents. Whenever the car turned right, they made sure it didn't slide left. When it turned left, they made sure it didn't slide right. (Duh)  
  
They watched over it the whole car ride back, and even thought nothing else happened, they were still glad when the van pulled up to the driveway and they were able to escape up the stairs to the girls's room.  
  
Once there, Shells took off her pack and emptied the tins onto the floor. (very carefully). Then, she and DVD began searching the room for the missing Yugi tins. Daricio had hidden them extremely well.  
  
While they were searching, a knock came at the door, and it opened. Mom came in. She looked around the room and frowned at the scattered tins on the floor.  
  
"Guys?" She said disapprovingly. "Homework?" She held it out to them. "Come downstairs and do it."  
  
Shells and DVD quickly picked up all the tins and stashed them back into Shells's backpack. "Can't we just do it up here? We'll get it done, honest!"  
  
Mom continued to frown at them and shook her head, answering negatively. No.  
  
They groaned, took their work, and ent down the stairs with one final glance at the room for the missing tins.  
  
//This is going to take forever!// Shells complained, gesturing to her mountain of work. //We'll never be able to either find those missing tins OR ask anyone else!//  
  
//Just work as fast as you can. If push comes to shove, we'll stay up late doing it after everyine goes to bed like we did last night. Whether it wakes anyone up or not.// DVD said confidentally.  
  
//Ok, but still.// Shells said.  
  
//I know.// DVD said, showing her his own pile of work. They both grimaced, then stuck their tongues out at their respective mountains.  
  
**************************************************************************** *****  
  
{Yugi and Daricio}  
  
It didn't take long for Daricio to figure out how to go into her temporary physical form, and soon she was running right along beside Yugi towards the game shop, grinning. If anyone on the street noticed that she was slightly see through, they didn't say anything about it and simply cleared out of the way as they would do for any person that was running quickly down the street. (She did a very good job at making her form look solid.)  
  
//Daricio, maybe you shouldn't do that.// Yugi warned. //What if you run into someone?//  
  
//I won't!// Daricio said, still grinning. //This is fun!//  
  
Yugi rolled his eyes.  
  
//Why didn't we just do this instead of doing all that switching when we played that game?// Daricio asked. Yugi grinned.  
  
//I forgot that we could do this.// He admitted.  
  
They continued running down the sidewalk. Daricio, of course, had almost no idea where they were going, so she just made sure she stayed by Yugi. Yugi, however, knew exactly where he was going, and soon Daricio had spotted the game shop.  
  
//Race?// She called. Yugi frowned, reminded slightly of Tea, and wondered once again where everyone was. Then he shook his head, as if to clear it, and answered.  
  
"Ok!" The moment the word left his lips, Daricio was off, running as fast as she could, pulling ahead of Yugi. //Hey!// Yugi mentally shouted at Daricio. Then he struggled to catch up. Daricio looked over her shoulder at him as she ran, giggling.  
  
Suddenly, Yugi saw someone up ahead. A certain blonde someone. //Daricio, watch out!// Yugi called, then winced as Daricio, unable to stop, ran right through Joey. They both stopped very suddenly, and then turned around to face each other.  
  
"That was strange." Daricio commented out loud.  
  
"Tell me bout it... What just happened?" Joey said.  
  
"I went through you."  
  
"Well, yeah, but why? How?" Joey asked, scratching his head and giving her a sideways look.  
  
"It's kinda hard to explain. Let's go inside up to my room." Yugi said, catching up to them and gesturing towards the game shop. Joey and Daricio nodden and followed Yugi inside.  
  
They all started single file up the staircase, but were stopped halfway up by Grandpa's voice.  
  
"Where do you three think you're going?" He asked, putting his hands on his hips.  
  
"Up to my room." Yugi said, turning around.  
  
Grandpa shook his head. "I don't think so." He told them sternly. "Yugi is still grounded, remember?"  
  
Yugi frowned. He had forgotten about that. "Grandpa, this is important." He said. Grandpa shook his head again.  
  
"Tell your friends goodbye. They have to go."  
  
Yugi sighed. "Ok. Sorry Joey. See ya." He turned to Daricio.  
  
//Go out with Joey, and tell him to come in through the window.// He told her. She grinned and nodded slightly.  
  
"Ok, bye Yugi." She said. She and Joey left the shop.  
  
"Ok, Joey, come over here." She said, walking over to the wall under Yugi's window where there were vines growing up the wall.  
  
"Why should I?" joey asked, not quite getting it.  
  
"Because you get to climb up these vines and go into Yugi's room that way!" She told him pointing upwards to the window.  
  
Joey looked up. "Oh." He said. He started to climb. Then he turned his head to look down at Daricio. "You coming?"  
  
Daricio grinned. "I have my ways." She told him. She looked around to see if anyone else was watching. Nobody was, so she let her 'physical form' melt away, returning her to Yugi's soul room.  
  
Joey stared at the spot where she had been standing, then started up towards the window again. "Interesting." He muttered to himself. "She can go through people, and disappear." Soon, he was clamboring through the window into Yugi's room. Daricio, once again back in her temporary physical form, was standing next to Yugi and Yami, who was also in a temporary phisical form.  
  
Joey sat down in one of the chairs in the room. So did Yugi. For reasons all their own, Daricio and Yami chose to remain standing. (Although, Joey guessed that Daricio was trying to imitate Yami's errect, ram rod straight style of standing.)  
  
"Ok," Joey started, breaking the silence in the room. "Before you three start launching yerselves into a ton of explanations, I came her cuz I wanted to tell Yugi bout the dream I had, and see if Yami had anything to say bout it." He told them, referring to Yami's liking to try and interpret dreams.  
  
"Ok, Joey. What was your dream?" Yami asked.  
  
"Well, first it was just a normal dream, but then I dreamed that I woke up! I wasn't in my room though. I looked around, and what did I see? I saw my Red Eyes! It was eating out of this really big bowl... Then, I heard a voice. I looked for who had spoken, and I saw these really big people! Then the Red Eyes decides to come over and attack me! One of the big people pressed something on this metal thing near me, and it glowed, and the Red Eyes disappeared!" Joey shook his head, then continued. "Then one of the big people asked me a question. They said, 'Joey, do you know anyone named Daricio?' I don't, so I told them so. Then they reached towards that metal thing again and I woke up..."  
  
//Somehow, I have the feeling that that was a very condensed version.// Daricio said to Yugi and Yami. //Shells and DVD probably had a lot of questions to ask him.//  
  
"Joey, I don't think that was a dream." Yami told him, looking over at Daricio.  
  
"Huh? Whaddya mean, not a dream? It coudn'ta been real!" Joey said.  
  
"It can, and it was." Daricio said. "I am Daricio."  
  
Joey stared at her. "The person these guys was lookin for?" He asked. Daricio nodded. "Riiiiiiiight." he said, disbelievingly.  
  
"It's true, Joey." Yugi said.  
  
"Ok, so how and why is she here?" Joey asked.  
  
Yugi sighed. "Now THAT... is a very long story." He said. "You know that article you showed me about the FWC's and the Picture Technology?"  
  
Joey nodded. "Yeah, what about it?" He asked, reaching into his pocket for it. He stopped suddenly, and pulled out, not only the article, but another, really big something.  
  
Everyone stared at it for a moment, before Daricio started laughing. "That... Is the biggest cheerio I have ever seen." She said between laughs. Yugi grinned and Joey continued staring at the huge piece of cereal.  
  
"Interesting." Yami said, raising an eyebrow. "Very interesting."  
  
Then they heard the game shop's bell ring. Someone had just walked in.  
  
"Hello, Tristan. Tea." They heard Grandpa say.  
  
"Hi. Can we talk to Yugi?" They heard Tea ask.  
  
"No, I'm sorry. Yugi is still grounded. He can't have friends over right now." Grandpa said.  
  
"Oh. Ok." Tristan said. "We'll talk to him at school tomorrow."  
  
Yugi ran over to the window and saw Tristan and Tea walk out of the shop. She called out to them.  
  
"Tristan! Tea! Over here!" he called. They looked up and saw him. He pointed down to the vines below his window. They nodded and ran over. They started their climb.  
  
When they got inside, they looked around, slightly suprised at the number of people that were in the room, considering the fact that Yugi wasn't supposed to have anyone over at the moment.  
  
"Hey, everyone." Tea said. She turned to Joey. "Did you tell him about what happened after school today?"  
  
Joey shook his head. "No, not yet. I was savin it for you to tell."  
  
"In other words, you forgot." Tristan said.  
  
"Yup."  
  
"What happened?" Daricio asked. Tristan and Tea looked at her.  
  
"Who are you?"  
  
"My name is Daricio." She said. Tristan raised an eybrow.  
  
"Daricio? Hey, did you know that there are some really big people looking for you?" He asked. Daricio smiled.  
  
"Yeah. That's my brother and sister." She told them. Even Joey looked surprised, as she hadn't told him that little fact.  
  
"Oh." Tristan said.  
  
"So.... What happened?" Daricio asked again.  
  
"Well, we were walking home, when all of a sudden, we were in this really dark place. None of us could see a thing. Tea and Joey wouldn't get off of me." Tristan started.  
  
"Get off of you? Whaddya mean? I wasn't on you! You were on me!" Joey said.  
  
"That's not important right now! The important part was what happened!" Tea said. "Along with us, there was a Red Eyes Black Dragon!"  
  
"It attacked us, and blew a hole through the wall. Then the roof of the place opened up and we could see that there were a ton of these metal type mountains around us." Tristan added. "We all got up, and there was a very large person! She muttered something to herself, then pressed a button, making the Red Eyes disappear. Then she pressed another button, and Joey was gone!"  
  
Joey nodded. "I was suddenly in the street where we were before. I ran directly here. Then she ran into...I mean through me...."  
  
"Well, all WE knew was that suddenly you were gone. Then she picked up another metal thing and pressed something on it, and then Tea was gone. Then she pressed another button on a different one, and then I was back in the street with Tea standing next to me!" Tristan said. "As far as we knew, Joey was long gone...."  
  
"Sorry." Joey said.  
  
Daricio had finally decided to sit down. "Someone must have accidentally hit some of the squares." she said. "and they were trying to send you guys back again."  
  
Yami nodded. "that sounds right."  
  
There was silence for a few moments before Tristan suddenly commented, "Joey, what is THAT?" He pointed to the overgrown cheerio that was on the floor at Joey's feet.  
  
"A cheerio. What else?" He said, grinning. "I musta dropped it."  
  
Tristan stared. "Uh huh." He said. Daricio grinned too.  
  
"He got it from my sister." She said. "I think."  
  
Joey nodded. He picked it up and set it on the table that was still set up in the middle of the room. "Shall we feast?" he asked, joking. He got several strange looks from everyone in the room.  
  
"Yugi, come down here! I need your help with something!" Grandpa called from the bottom of the stairs.  
  
"You guys better go." He said. Everyone nodded. Daricio and Yami returned to Yugi's soul room, and Tea, Tristan, and Joey climbed back out the window again.  
  
***************************************************************************  
  
{Shells}  
  
That night, DVD snuck out of his room and into Shells's. they closed the curtains on the window and stuffed a towel under the door so that they could turn on the light without anyone noticing. They began their search again.  
  
After about ten minutes, they decided to just try some of the other tins instead. They only had the Mai tin and the Bakura tin left to go. Shells decided to try the Mai tin first.  
  
She grabbed it out of the backpack and pressed the square. Mai appeared. (Standing up, still awake even though it was about 9:30 at night)  
  
She looked around for a moment, startled. Shells was about to talk, when DVD shook his head and put a finger to his lips.  
  
//Let's see if this works.// He said. He slid a piece of paper over to Mai and then backed away to a spot where he was less able to be seen. Shells also backed away.  
  
Mai turned around and saw the piece of paper. "What on earth?" She said quietly. On the paper was tow sentances.  
  
'Do you know anyone named Daricio?' was the first question. The other was, 'Just say your answer out loud.'  
  
Mai looked confused. "Now, this is strange." She commented, looking around again. She cleared her throat. "I don't know who or where you are, but no, I have no clue who Daricio is." She waited for something to happen.  
  
Something did. DVD reached out towards the square again. "Thanks anyway." He said softly, then he pressed it.  
  
Shells looked at him. //That didn't take very long.// She commented.  
  
DVD grinned. //Yeah. Let's just do the same thing for bakura, then we can look for those Yugi tins again.//  
  
Shells frowned. //No, Bakura is different.// She said. //He's here already, remember? What if he just goes back to his own body at the hospital? A little note isn't going to cut it then. Besides, even if he does come here, we have even more questions to ask him.//  
  
DVD's smile faded. //Oh. Right. Ok.// He pulled the Bakura tin closer to him. //Lets do this, then.// He said.  
  
He pressed the square. It glowed for a second. Then another second. Then another. It continued glowing. it got brighter and brighter, as if it was struggling to do something, then the glowing stopped completely, and Bakura was standing there.  
  
He looked around quickly, confusion written all over his face. "Hello?" He asked. "Anyone here?"  
  
"We are." DVD said softly. "And we have quite a few questions for you."  
  
Bakura looked around, then up, spotting them. The color drained out of his face.  
  
"Wha?...." He took a few steps back. "Who are you?" He asked, still pale.  
  
"My name is Shells. and this is my brother DVD." Shells said. "Nice to meet you."  
  
"Uh... Yeah..." Bakura said, taking a few more steps backwards, staring up at them. "Nice to meet you... I think...." He took one more step backwards, but there was no more tin for him to step backwards onto. He pinwheeled for a second, then fell off the edge backwards. "Wha!! Oof!"  
  
Shells picked up the tin and moved it out of the way. Bakura stared up at her some more from his position on the floor.  
  
"Are you ok?" Shells asked.  
  
"Yeah.... At least my body is... I'm not so sure about my head, right now...." Bakura replied.  
  
Shells smiled slightly. "Ryou Bakura, we have some questions for you..." She told him.  
  
"Ok... But just call me Bakura, ok?" He said. "I only ever got called Ryou when..." His voice trailed off. He shook his head, then continued. "What's your questions?"  
  
"Well... First off, we're trying to find someone. Do you know anyone named Daricio?" She asked.  
  
"Well, no, I don't think so. Sorry." Bakura said. "Any other questions?"  
  
"Um... Yeah... Did you know that... that you are in the hospital?" DVD asked.  
  
Bakura frowned and looked around. "Hospital? What do you mean?"  
  
"Now right now, Bakura... And yet... Yes right now... " Shells tried to figure out how to explain. Bakura's face clouded over as he went deep into thought.  
  
Several moments passed. Then Bakura spoke. "Can... Can I go home now?" He asked in a small voice.  
  
Shells looked at DVD, who looked back at her.  
  
//He looks troubled. Maybe if we talk to him later, he'll feel like telling us.// Shells told him.  
  
//Good idea.// DVD said. He nodded to Bakura and then pressed the square on the tin. Bakura disappeared.  
  
********************************************************************  
  
{Bakura} (Yay!)  
  
Ryou.... Nobody had ever called him Ryou since that day.... So long ago.... Bakura shook his head and sat down on his bed in his room.  
  
//What's the matter?// The Spirit of the Ring asked evily. //Don't like remembering?//  
  
Bakura shut his eyes tightly and did something he had never done before. //Shut up.// He told the spirit.  
  
His ring glowed slightly for an instant, and the spirit, which Bakura had started to call his yami took on a physical form and grinned evily at him.  
  
"I was right. You don't like remembering." He said menacingly. The ring glowed again and the room began to shift and swirl.  
  
Bakura opened his eyes wide and sat up. "Wait, no!" he said. His yami grinned.  
  
When the room finished swirling, Bakura could tell that they were in the shadow realm once again. His yami liked going there.  
  
He sighed. "What now, yami?" he asked. The spirit frowned.  
  
"Quit calling me the name of that stupid pharoah." He hissed. That was the reason Bakura liked calling him Yami.  
  
He repeated his question. "What are you doing now?"  
  
"Well, you obviously are slow today. Let me SHOW you...." The spirit said, grinning once again. The Shadow Realm began to shift, and Bakura could see that, even though he was still in the shadow realm, he was also in an old apartment.  
  
"No..." He whispered. "You're going to make me relive this, aren't you..." He heard the spirit cackle, and knew that he had figured it out correctly. Not that that made being here and doing this any more reassuring.  
  
He looked around the old apartment. It was just how he remembered it. Not that there would be any difference, as his yami had created it USING his memory.  
  
"My old house." He said to himself. "The one I lived in by myself when my parents died." Then, he did what he had done those many years ago. Not that he wanted to. The memory was forcing him to do exactly what he had done before. He closed his eyes and concentrated. Inside his soul room.  
  
The soul room was also how it had been before. Before he had traveled. Before the spirit had come. He looked around it, involentarily. In one corner of it, was... the link. The thin wire like thing that had changed his life forever.  
  
He started towards it. Again, he didn't want to, but that was what he had done before, so he had to. He put his hand on the wire and started walking along it. Walking, Bakura already knew, to his new life.  
  
He continued walking. and walking until he came to a door. He opened it, and went through. The moment he did, the door slammed itself shut. Ryou turned and tried to wrench it open, but to no avail. It was stuck. Forever.  
  
He turned to look at his surroundings. He was now standing on a sidewalk. Other people on the street payed him no heed. He wondered why. This was obviously not someone's mind, or there wouldn't be so many people. He was in a real, honest to goodness city.  
  
Bakura already knew that this was Domino, where he would spend the rest of his life, but he hadn't then, so he had to endure the repeating of the questions and thoughts he had had in his mind.  
  
Bakura looked around once again, then started walking down the street. he wandered around for what seemed like ages. Even though he knew that it couldn't have been more that 10 minutes. He also knew that in the shadow realm where he really was, no time at all was passing, and when he got back home, it would be as if he hadn't been anywhere. Except that the memory would be fresh in his mind.  
  
He continued wandering until he saw two young boys, both about the age of 12 playing outside of a game shop. Bakura knew it was Joey and Yugi. But Ryou didn't know who they were, so he just continued down the street. They spotted him and waved, but him, being the shy person that he was, just blushed, ducked his head, and continued walking, not wanting to admit that he was lost.  
  
He finally found his way to a large building. The orphanage. he had been searching for a place like this ever since he lost his parents. He hadn't been able to find one, however, and so he had just lived in that apartment. but now he had finally found one! A place he could live!  
  
He went in the door and up to the desk. "Excuse me." He said politely. The lady at the desk looked down at him.  
  
"Yes?" She said, smiling sweetly.  
  
"Uh.... My Mom and Dad are both..." He felt his throat choke up. "Dead." He said in a small voice. "And I don't have anywhere to live... Can I stay here?"  
  
//Aww... How sweet...// His Yami whispered to him. Bakura shuddered. That hadn't happened then, mostly because he didn't even have the ring, much less his yami, at that time. But his yami was teasing him now.  
  
//Stop this... Stop this now! I don't want to remember it all!// He said.  
  
//Too bad.//  
  
The lady at the desk smiled again and said, "Dear, of course you can stay here. And then, if anyone wants to adopt you, you can have a real home!"  
  
Ryou smiled in relief. He had been afraid that they wouldn't take him in. "Thank you." he said.  
  
//Thank you.// His Yami imitated him.  
  
//Shut up! // Bakura said.  
  
Ryou followed the lady into a room full of kids.  
  
"What is your name?" The lady asked.  
  
"I'm Ryou." He answered.  
  
"Well, Ryou, do you have a last name?" She said.  
  
Ryou shook his head. "Not anymore. Not since..."  
  
"Oh. I'm sorry you feel that way." she said, taking him over to an empty bed. "Fine then, Ryou, this will be your bed. You can get to know all the other kids now." She left the room and went to write down that he was there in her little book.  
  
Ryou sat on the bed and looked in the mirror that was attatched to the head of it. He still looked the way he always had, so why did he feel so different? Bakura knew. He knew that he was actually in a completely new body. And that his old one was still in that apartment.  
  
After a while, the lady came back in and, seeing that Ryou hadn't moved from the bed, went over to the bed and called for everyone's attention. "Everyone." She said when she had their attention. "This is Ryou. He is new here, so let's all be friends!"  
  
A few of the other kids waved, but other than that, just ignored him. They were used to getting new kids in here often, so having Ryou there wasn't much different.  
  
Ryou looked around. Mostly people were just sitting on their beds getting ignored, like he was. But there was a big group of people over in one corner. He got up to see what they were doing.  
  
They were all watching two kids play chess. The older one was winning, but the younger one seemed to be having fun too. One kid with a camera took a picture, and in the following commotion, Ryou was pushed back away, so he couldn't see.  
  
"Hey!" Ryou called. "I can't see!"  
  
One kid near him gave him a glare. "Get used to it, newbie." He said. "You don't generally get to do much around here till you've been here a bit."  
  
"Oh." Ryou said in a small voice. Bakura frowned inwardly.  
  
//What? Don't like remembering?// his yami asked him for the second time that day.  
  
//Stop this now. This isn't necessary.//  
  
//Oh, but it is.... Very...// The spirit taunted him.  
  
Ryou went back to his bed and watched the crowd. After about five minutes, it broke up and the older kid emerged victorious, holding the smaller child's hand.  
  
"Come on, Mokuba." The older one said.  
  
"Ok big brother." Mokuba told him. They walked over to a corner where two beds had been pushed together and away from all the others.  
  
Ryou watched them. Bakura watched them. The spirit watched them.  
  
//Weren't Seto and Mokuba just so cute two years ago?// the spirit said.  
  
//Shut up.// Bakura said. Ryou lay down on the bed.  
  
//Aw, but nothing happened here for a long time after that. Not for about a week. Let's speed things up a bit, shall we?// the spirit said. The room swirled once again, and when it stopped, Bakura was back in the room again, one week later.  
  
He knew it was a week, not only by what the spirit had said, but because of the person who was in the room, looking over all of the kids.  
  
It was the famous owner of KaibaCorp, Gozaburo Kaiba. He was out to adopt a son to take over the company when he was gone. His cold eyes swept over the crowd of children taking them all in and trying to decide which one would be best.  
  
Bakura frowned, being forced to remember the anxiety he had felt. "If he picks me, i'll never have anything to worry about again!" Ryou said to himself.  
  
Gozaburo walked slowly down the center of the room, surveying all the children. His eyes fell on Ryou who gave him a small smile. Gozaburo nodded at him, and began walking towards him.  
  
Ryou's heart leaped. He was going to be picked! He was going to have a home! Then, Seto walked over to Gozaburo, looked him right in the eye and challenged him.  
  
"I challenge you to a game of chess! If I win, you have to take in me and Mokuba!" He said. Gozaburo grinned and sat down at the table.  
  
Ryou glared to Seto, who didn't see him. He was turned away, setting up the pieces. The game began, but almost as soon as it began, it seemed, it was over, and Seto was putting the game away with a big grin on his face.  
  
He went back over to Mokuba, took him by the hand, and led him over to Gozaburo, who was still sitting in his chair, shocked that a fifteen year old had beaten him.  
  
"Ok, lets go." Seto said, looking up at him, his face full of seriousness. Gozaburo nodded, then smiled.  
  
"Yes, of course. You'd be perfect." He took Seto by the hand and brought him and Mokuba out of the building.  
  
Ryou felt horrible. He would have been picked. he would have. He had almost had a home. If only that Seto guy hadn't gotten in his way. If only... Seto... He had a last name now... Seto Kaiba.... And he was just Ryou... Just Ryou.... Just Ryou.....  
  
Bakura couldn't take it anymore. //Stop this! Stop it! Stop it now!!!!!!!!!!!// He screamed at the spirit.  
  
//Oh, but why? We still have something to do... To remember.... Don't we?// He said evily.  
  
//No, we don't! No!// Bakura cried. //No!//  
  
//Yes. Let's see it now...Yes... Let's see now... how much time.... Ah... One and a half years from this point...// his Yami said.  
  
//No...// Bakura thought, realizing what the sprit was going to show him. His own adoption, and the gift of the ring... //No, spirit... SPIRIT!!!!!!!//  
  
It was too late. The room shifted, and Bakura sunk into another wave of sorrow.  
  
**************************************************************************** *  
  
{End of chappie interlude: Seto Kaiba (Who else?)}  
  
Kaiba worked long and hard and before he knew it, it was night again. He had manually turned off his AI and had actually gotten most of the report done. He saved what he had, and stretched. He got up from his chair and went into the kitchen to get himself something to eat.  
  
He opened the refrigerator and pulled out a TV dinner. He knew he could have something besides that, but, strangely, he had developed a liking for them ever since he had gotten Mokuba one and he hadn't liked it, forcing seto to eat it instead.  
  
He pulled off the wrapping and stuffed it in the microwave. He pressed the start button, then suddenly stiffened.  
  
There was somebody in the room. He could feel it.  
  
He turned around quickly. It was just Mokuba. He allowed himself to relax.  
  
Mokuba gave the microwave a funny look, then looked up at Seto.  
  
"Are you having another one of those TV dinners?" He asked.  
  
"Yes, Mokuba. So?" Seto asked, sitting at the small table in the kitchen to wait for the dinner to finish cooking.  
  
"You're weird, Seto." Mokuba said, grinning up at him and jumping into his lap.  
  
"Yup. I know." Seto said, ruffling up Mokuba's hair.  
  
"Speaking of weird." Said a voice from the doorway. "Aren't you two supposed to be in the nuthouse?"  
  
Seto put Mokuba on the ground and faced the doorway to see who it was. Whoever it was stepped out of the shadows. It was just one of his security guards.  
  
"Let us alone." Seto said.  
  
The security guard smiled. "I don't think so. It's not good to let mentally unstable people run around."  
  
Seto growled and lunged at him. The guard, now pinned to the wall, just kept smiling.  
  
"Not this time, Mr. Kaiba. Let's go." He said.  
  
Suddenly the room was filled with guards. Seto looked around quickly. They already had Mokuba, and all they needed to do now was to grab him.  
  
"We are not mentally unstable." Seto growled as they led him away. "WE'RE NOT!!!!!!!!!"  
  
"That's nice Mr. Kaiba. Let's go."  
  
"YOU CAN'T MAKE ME GO BACK THERE!!!!!!!!!!!!"  
  
"Let's go, Mr. Kaiba."  
  
"Never!!!!!!"  
  
"Mr. Kaiba..."  
  
"No!"  
  
"Seto!"  
  
"Mokuba!"  
  
"Let's GO, Mr. Kaiba."  
  
"No!"  
  
They left the Kaiba residence, with Seto kicking and screaming the whole way.  
  
"NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!!!!!!!!"  
  
**************************************************************************  
  
Now can you guys see why I be so mean to Seto? It's payback for what I made him do to my favorite character! (Actually, I had just been doing it for fun, but this makes for a good reason.)  
  
I had lots of fun writing this chappie! (Not because of the Bakura abuse, though... I just liked writing it...)  
  
So, now you must wait for my next chappie! you can go and read other fics now... It's allowed.... you're done reading mine for now.... At least until next chappie!  
  
See ya!!!!  
  
--Daricio 


	22. Transporting Yugi! Finally and lots of f...

Hey everyone!!!  
  
Ok, last chappie was cold, depressing, and really mean to Ryou..... Who is my favorite character..... So I need to lighten things up with a lot of interludes and interesting stuff, while still trying to move the story line in a forward direction...  
  
I'm beating my brother in our contest!!!!Yay!!! Thank you all so very much! You are all so wonderful! I have but one request for you all! (Don't tell her I told you,) but can you pleeeeease go and read Shells's story "Yu-Gi- Oh fair" ? (Her pen name is actually Shells124, but you already knew that, right? Right.) Please? It will make her happy! (She's depressed because both me and DVD each have about 50-56 reviews and she only has 21.) Thanks!  
  
For anyone who was confused and don't remember, Yugi was grounded by Grandpa because Yugi got into that fight with Bakura. (Remember? "Don't worry, Yami, I'm only grounded for a week!")  
  
Ok, now to answer a few questions from Pruningshears, (Of whom I am very happy reviewed, as per usual). You asked why Daricio didn't get her own body and Bakura did. There are two reasons for that. One was that Daricio entered the Yu-Gi-Oh world by going into Yugi's mind, so, basically, she did get a new body... Yugi's! Whereas, Bakura, (or, at that time, Ryou) entered directly into the world, so he needed a body. So it gave him one that looked just like his other one had. The other reason, (And the reason of why Ryou even had a link to the other world in the first place) Will be revealed in this chappie. Also, thanks for pointing out to me that Seto did, sorta, save Ryou from abuse from Gozaburu Kaiba... I feel better... Sorta...But that didn't make it any easier for Ryou then because he didn't know that Seto was getting abused... So the spirit, sensing that this was a point of grief for Ryou, Homed in on it and forced him to remember it, and the feelings that came with it. Thanks, Pruningshears, for the nice comment about Yami Bakura. ^_^  
  
*sigh* I got this really cool book for christmas.... (I know, it's a little kinda late to be talking about that...) It has Character Bios... Summeries for the show... Summeries for the Japanese manga (Means comic book) and for the Japenese Anime.... And a lot of piccies..... Very humourous ones, might I add.... (You have no idea how funny it can be to see a piccie of Tea (Actually, in the Japanese, it is Anzu) and Yugi on a waterslide together.... ^_^ .... There's only one problem..... Nowhere... I mean nowhere, is there ANY picture WHATSOEVER of Ryou.... There's a few of "Yami" Bakura.... But no Ryou... ;_; ......wait.... *Grabs microscope* is that...? Yes! One very small picture of Ryou!!! (Although that is the smallest picture of a person I have ever seen... Ok, now I'm using this as a rant.... I better stop before I hurt something..... Plus this is probably boring you.....  
  
On with the fic!  
  
************************************************************************  
  
{Shells}  
  
"Ok, now that we've finally gotten through everyone... We have got to find that Yugi tin." DVD said. "It has to be around here somewhere."  
  
"Wait. What about Tea?" Shells asked. "We forgot to ask her!"  
  
"So what? We need to find that tin!" DVD told her.  
  
"But... She might..." Shells started.  
  
"If she knew anything or had been here before, she wouldn't have been so scared of us or fainted!" DVD reasoned.  
  
"What if she talked to Yugi? Wouldn't she know something then?" Shells asked.  
  
DVD shook his head. "That's not good enough. We need to ask Yugi himself." He said.  
  
Shells sighed, then finally agreed. They searched everywhere. In Daricio's desk. In her dresser. All the shelves. On her bed. (Where most of her stuff usually ends up). In the closet. (Which actually didn't look too bad, considering it had just recently been attacked by a Red Eyes Black Dragon.) Everywhere they could think of.  
  
Suddenly, they heard a noise downstairs. Someone was awake. They would have to turn off the lights and use Daricio's flashlight. (Found on her bed, along with about a dozen books, a few random candy wrappers, and a lot of stuffed animals)  
  
DVD turned off the light and switched on the flashlight. They resumed their searching, being careful not to make lots of noise.  
  
They searched and searched.  
  
"Man, If we had more light," DVD commented softly. "This would be so much easier."  
  
"If someone had gotten their homework done as fast as I did," Shells pointed out. "We'd have more light."  
  
"If another someone had decided not to keep showing me her Yu-Gi-Oh cards when I was trying to do my homework, it would have gotten done faster!"  
  
"If SOMEONE hadn't done a really stupid trade with me, I wouldn't be showing you my Yu-Gi-Oh cards."  
  
"If someone had told me what the EFFECT of that really stupid monster was, I wouldn't have made the trade!"  
  
"If you had listened to me when I told it to you the first time, I wouldn't have NEEDED to show you again."  
  
"If you hadn't dented my card carrier, I would have listened to you!"  
  
"If you hadn't told me I could use that card carrier to take my cards to school, I wouldn't have dented it, now would I?"  
  
"Oh, yeah? Well, if you had told me you were going to store the thing in the front pocket of your backpack, then walk around backwards and run into a sign pole, thereby denting it, I wouldn't have told you you could use it!"  
  
"Daricio keeps HER cards in the front pocket of HER backpack, and she walks backwards home from school almost every day, and her cards don't get dented!"  
  
"Well, Daricio doesn't KEEP her cards in a dentable card carrier, does she? No! She always keeps her cards in one of her TINS!!!!"  
  
They stopped arguing suddenly and stared at each other.  
  
"Oh, duh...." DVD said sheepishly, looking towards the door. "Her Yugi tin is still in her backpack.... Front pocket....Where it always is when she forgets to take it out after school....huh?"  
  
Shells shook her head. "Yup."  
  
They stared at each other for amoment before bursting out laughing.  
  
"Interesting how making a comment about light made us find it..." DVD said, remembering what had started the little argument.  
  
"Yeah.... There's one problem still. There's someone down there... And we don't know who... What if it's Mom or Dad and they send us back to bed?" Shells said.  
  
"We'll just go down there and hope that it's Jrj." DVD said.  
  
"I don't want to get sent to bed! We have to use that tin tonight! Daricio has been gone, sorta, for almost two days! I don't want her to have to wait any longer!" Shells cried.  
  
"We have to try, then." DVD reasoned. "Let's go."  
  
They switched off the flashlight and opened the door, heading down the stairs. They got to the bottom and turned the corner, revealing that the person downstairs was...  
  
*****************************  
  
(No, I'm not that mean..... No cliffie.... Back to the story...)  
  
****************************  
  
The person downstairs was Jrj! DVD and Shells let out a small sigh of relief and entered the room.  
  
Jrj looked up as they entered.  
  
"Hi. Couldn't sleep either?" He asked.  
  
Shells and DVD exchanged glances, then nodded. "Yup."  
  
"Me either... I can't stop thinking about Daricio.... I mean..." Jrj started.  
  
"We understand. We feel the same way." DVD reassured him.  
  
"Yeah... so, what did you come down here for?"Jrj asked.  
  
"Oh, we wanted to get something..." Shells said.  
  
"Yeah." DVD agreed.  
  
"Oh." Jrj said. "Then I suppose I'll let you get back to whatever it was you were playing, huh?"  
  
"Uh.... yeah." DVD said. He and Shells went over to the rack where all the coats and backpacks were hung up. They opened the front pocket on Daricio's backpack and pulled out the Yugi tin.  
  
Then they went back up the stairs and into Daricio's room. They knew who it was that was down there, so they could safely turn the light on without it bothering people, but they decided to leave it of and just use the flashlight, as it was night and they didn't want to blind anyone.  
  
Shells and DVD looked at on another, and even though they couldn't see each other's faces easily, they could tell that they were both grinning.  
  
Shells focused the beam from the flashlight to shine on the tin, then reached out and pressed the square.  
  
It glowed for a second, then Yami came out of it. He looked startled for an instant, then looked around, shading his eyes from the glow of the flashlight. Shells moved it so that it wasn't in his eyes as much.  
  
Yami, now being able to see, realized where he had to be. He opened his mouth and called out into the darkness.  
  
"Shells? DVD?" He asked. They looked at each other in surprise.  
  
//He knows US already? Daricio must have told him about us...// Shells said.  
  
DVD agreed. Then he answered Yami. "Yes... I'm DVD, and this is Shells."  
  
Yami's eyes finally adjusted to the gloom of the flashlight and he looked up at them. "Hi. I have a whole lot to tell you two. I've been waiting all day for you to figure out how to use this thing... What took you so long?"  
  
DVD and Shells looked at each other again.  
  
//Ok, he definetly knows something about Daricio. This must be what she meant by 'use the tins.' So now, --// DVD was cut off by a slightly annoyed look from Yami and his speaking.  
  
"Ok, you two... Whatever you have to say, you can say it in front of me." He told them. Shells and DVD looked down on them, confusion all over their faces. "yes, I know you two and Daricio have a link." He said.  
  
They looked at each other again. Then back at Yugi. "How do you know? How do you even know about us? Nobody else we asked knew anything..."  
  
"Yes, I know. Just give me a while to explain. It's kind of a long story." Yami told them. "First off, I think this would help you understand... At least sort of."  
  
He closed his eyes, then the puzzle around his neck glowed softly. When it stopped, he had let Yugi take control and he had assumed a temporary physical form.  
  
Shells gave the two a confused look. "Yeah... So?" She started. Then she realized that, beside Yami, was yet another person in a temporary physical form. Shells mentally pointed this out to DVD, then the two of them leaned closer to look.  
  
It was Daricio! She was very little, but it was her! They had found her!  
  
Shells and DVD exploded with questions, but the most obvious one was asked first. "What are you doing down there?" DVD asked.  
  
Daricio gave him a strange look, then sighed and sat down on the edge of the tin.  
  
//I had wondered what it was like to be able to sit on one of these things...// She said softly to Yugi. He smiled slightly. Then Daricio began her little tale.  
  
"Do you guys remember a few days ago when I was at dinner, and I basicly just ignored everyone? Even when Mom asked how my day was?" She asked them.  
  
Shells and DVD shook their heads. "Yes. Me and Shells thought something was wrong with you. Then the next day, Mom went to get you up for the paper route, and you wouldn't get up. She called the hospital, and we've been missing school every day since then to go and visit you in the hospital." DVD said.  
  
Daricio frowned. "I had hoped I wasn't worrying too many people." She said. "I mean, you guys even went and took..."  
  
Suddenly she looked up and peered into the darkness in the general direction of her bed. "Wait." She said, her frown getting bigger. "So, I'm not here. I'm at the hospital miles and miles away."  
  
Shells nodded slowly. "Yeah? So?"  
  
"Oh great." She paused. "What day is it today?"  
  
Shells and DVD exchanged glances. "Thursday. Tomorow morning will be Friday." Shells said."But you still haven't told us whow you are right here..."  
  
"Oh, right. Sorry." Daricio said. "Ok, well, the reason I wasn't responding to anyone was that earlier that day and the day before... and the day before, I think... I had figured out how to use the tins...  
  
"Not only that, after several times of bringing Yugi over, for some reason, we started doing the same exact things. I even thought that his locker combo was mine at one point. What was happening was that me and him were forming a mental link.  
  
"So, that day, I had figured out that we had a link, and I was searching for it. I figured out how to get to my soul room, and I had lots of fun organizing it."  
  
Daricio was remembering trying to clean up stuffed animal after stuffed animal after... She shook her head to clear it, then continued with her story.  
  
"After a while, I found the link. I "Walked" along it, until I came to the door to Yugi's soul room. I guess it made my body go into a coma... anyways, I explored in there for a while..."  
  
"Not telling either of us that she was there, of course." Yami reminded her. "She turned herself invisible."  
  
Daricio glanced down at the floor. "It was fun." She said simply.  
  
"Until you got stuck there." Yugi said.  
  
"Right." Daricio returned the conversation to the story. "I tried to get back home, but the door that I came through to get back was sealed shut. Nothing any of us have tried had worked to get the darn thing open. When you two figured out how to contact me using OUR link, I could barely hear you because the door was in the way."  
  
"Yeah, I noticed that." Shells said. "You were just barely able to get us the message "Use the tins" before the connection broke."  
  
Daricio nodded. "Exactly." She said. "We think that if Yugi can get close to my body, maybe the door will unseal itself and let me get back to my body."  
  
Shells and DVD nodded, understanding the theory. "And so you are now annoyed that your body isn't here." DVD concluded.  
  
Daricio nodded again. "Tomorrow, before you go to the hospital, bring Yugi and us over. That way his Grandpa won't make him go to school and he has to sit through his classes hoping you don't choose that moment to make him suddenly disappear."  
  
Shells nodded, realizing for the first time that that was what happened when she transported them over.  
  
"Also, you'll be able to see what it looks like to stare out fo a window at things going by really fast when you're really small." DVD said.  
  
Daricio grinned. "Right."  
  
***********************************************************************  
  
{Interlude: Seto Kaiba. (Really now, were you expecting the interlude to be done by ANYONE else?}  
  
That night, Seto Kaiba had to sit in front of a huge panel of people as they stared at him and told him that he was mentally unable to care for his company further, and so it was to be taken from him. Numbly, he nodded and then, after spending several hours trying to convince them otherwise, was told that all he had done by talking to them was to convince them that he didn't have to wear a straightjacket, and was led to a very small room with blue squishy walls. A different one than the one he had had before. It had been white.  
  
Two long, painful, boring hours later, the door opened a crack. Seto looked up at it and glared at the stranger who stuck his head in.  
  
"What do you want?" Seto demanded.  
  
The man smiled a small, "I-don't-care-if-you-do-think-I'm-stupid-because- you're-crazy" look, then held up a small chair. Seto stood up slowly, glared at the man, and took it, then retreated off to the corner with it and sat in it, thinking. The man left.  
  
A chair. Lovely. Maybe tomorrow they would let him have his laptop back. Then maybe his cellphone. Then again, he really didn't have to worry about company profits or company problems. He wasn't in charge any more.  
  
"The company is going to be totally destroyed without me there. It will be devestated. Then when I get out of here, I will be able to pluck it up from the dust and get it going again. That should be proof enough that I'm not nuts." Seto mumbled to himself.  
  
What had he done to deserve this? Here he was in the insane assylum, trying to prove to people that he wasn't crazy. He never dreamed he would have to endure such a nightmare. There wasn't much worse that could happen. What else could happen?  
  
"Hmph. If the company wants to destroy itself faster, all they need to do is put that freak, Joey as the CEO." Seto growled to himself. "That would just make my day so much better."  
  
"I'm sure it would, Mr." Seto jumped at the voice of the person that was now standing right beside him, giving him a strange look. Seto jumped out of the chair and whirled around, facing the man.  
  
"How did you get in here without me noticing?" Seto asked. The man shrugged.  
  
"It's a gift. Also, it's really easy to sneak up on someone when they're thinking about something." The man said. Then he pointed to his name tag. "I am Dr. Sadejklfas. But you can call me Dr. S. Or maybe even Bob, if you feel like it."  
  
Seto frowned. (As if he wasn't already.) This man made him feel like he was in kindergarden! with all his 'call me Dr. S' and all that. Who in their right mind would call someone Dr.S? Not that he really technically was in his right mind at the moment...  
  
"Dr. Bob Sadejklfas?" He asked. "What kind of name is"  
  
"No, my name isn't Bob." Dr. S said, laughing. "I just said you could call me that because it's so much easier to say!"  
  
Seto frowned even more, then turned his head to look more closely at the nametag. It was blank. Seto raised an eyebrow. "And your name would be?"  
  
"Dr. S" sighed. "It's Dr. Angeline Frand" He told Seto, sitting down crosslegged on the floor. "Frand."  
  
Seto was now really confused. "Angeline...Frand? What? But didn't you just say?...." Seto sat down in his little chair and watched the man.  
  
"FRANDA!!!!!!!! FRENDA!!!!!!! AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHH!!!!!!!!" The man suddenly burst out. "FRANKIE!!!!!!!!!"  
  
Seto stared, shocked at the man's reaction to his words. "Are.... Are you ok?"  
  
"Dr S" looked up at him, tears in his eyes. "My name... is....my name....is.......is......is..................is....." He burst out crying.  
  
Seto stood up and looked at the door, which had a little window. He went over to it and looked out, a small suspicion in his mind. Sure enough, several doors down, one of the doors had been left open. There were no guards anywhere.  
  
Seto turned back to the man, who was now throwing a temper tantrum on the floor. "Hey, you. Whoever you are, how did you get out?"  
  
The man immedietly stopped thrashing, stood up calmly, and walked over so that he was standing next to Seto. Seto took a small step away from him.  
  
"It's Freda." The man concluded. "Freda. But you can call me George. Or Bob. Or just call me Dr. S."  
  
Seto nodded slowly, hoping that he wouldn't ever have to see that happen again. "How did you get out?" He repeated.  
  
Dr S. leaned heavily on the door. "Out of where?" He asked.  
  
Seto gave him a strange look. "Ok, how did you get in here?"  
  
"Oh! Well, that was easy! There was this spiffy little door handle, and I pulled on it! The door opened! But there's no little spiffy handle on this side. In that other room, there was, but not here. Shame, really. It was fun. It was about... Riiiiiiiight here." Dr S pointed to a space about three inches from the top of the door.  
  
Seto looked up at the spot. "Really." He said.  
  
Dr S looked startled. "What?" He asked.  
  
"There was a handle right here?" Seto asked.  
  
"No!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!" Dr. S. burst out. "Not there, you idiot!!!!! THERE!!!!!!!!!!"  
  
He pointed to a spot about three inches from the base of the door. Seto glared at him.  
  
"Can you open the door, or not?" Seto growled.  
  
Dr. S. gave him a strange look. "My name?" He asked. "Why, it's Saderfreada. Mr. Sadrefreda. Nice to meet you, uh......"  
  
Seto sighed. "The door." He said again.  
  
"Oh! Nice to meet you Mr. The Door!" Dr. S. said, reaching out and grasping Seto's hand and shaking it frantically.  
  
Seto tried to wrench his hand away, but to no avail. The man, though he looked small, was extremely strong. Seto lifted his hand as high up as he could, lifting the smaller man up into the air, hoping the force of gravity could get him off.  
  
That didn't work either. The small man clung on desperatly and continued trying to shake Seto's hand up and down.  
  
"Nice....To.....meet...You!!!" He said, gasping for breath. Seto sighed and returned him to the floor. He finally let go and sat down on the ground. Seto ran over to the other side of the room to get as far away from the guy as possible.  
  
Dr. S. stared at Seto. "Mr. The Door? Mr. The Door?" He asked. He was silent for a moment, then he began chanting softly.  
  
His chanting grew louder. And louder. Soon Seto could hear the words.  
  
"Bate' Bate' Chocolate'. Con Arosy, Con Tomate'. Bate' Bate' Chocolate'. Con arosy, con tomate'. Bate' bate' chocolate'. Con arosy, con tomate'!!!!!! BATE' BATE' CHOCOLATE'!!! CON AROSY CON TOMATE!!!!!!!!!!" He laughed hystarically and rolled around on the floor. "Bate' Bate!!! Chocolate'!!! Con arosy!!! Con tomate'!!!!!!! HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!!!!!!!!"  
  
Seto stared at him. "What does that mean?!?!?" He asked.  
  
"Mix the chocolate with the tomato." Dr. S. said, stopping his laughing very suddenly and standing up, looking over at Seto as if nothing strange had happened. "It's Spanish."  
  
"Oh. Thats....Nice." Seto said, still staring.  
  
"Yes, it is very nice to meet you Mr. The Door." Dr. S. said, nodding.  
  
"It's Kaiba. Seto Kaiba." Seto said. "Not The Door."  
  
"Oh. Well then, Mr. Seto, What say we explore for a while?" Dr. S said.  
  
Seto, not sure of what to do, only nodded slowly. Dr. S. promptly turned towards the door and began banging on it. Nothing happened. Then he took a small card out of his pocket and slid it down the side of the door, untriggering any locks that were on it, and the door opened.  
  
Seto stared. "Why didn't you do that when I asked you to open the door?"  
  
"You didn't ask me to." Dr. S. said. He walked out of the room and Seto followed, looking both ways to see if there were any guards. Seeing none, he headed down the hall, looking in on various doors.  
  
"What are you doing? I thought we were going to explore!!!" Dr. S. whined.  
  
"I am exploring." Seto said. "I have to find my brother."  
  
"Your brother? There are more Seto The Doors around here?" He looked around nervously as if a clone of Seto might step out from behind a corner at any moment.  
  
Seto ignored him. He may have helped him get out, but that didn't mean he was any use to him. He continued looking in on various doors, listening intently for the sound of footsteps in case he was being followed.  
  
Unfortunetly, Dr.S. was being extremely loud in his talking to Seto, which made it very hard for him to hear. Seto rounded a corner, getting the man away from his sight, searching for Mokuba's cell.  
  
Suddenly he heard a huge shout of surprise. "HEY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!"  
  
He whirled around, expecting to see guards coming after him, but it was only Dr. S, running after him. He ran up to Seto, then glared at him. "No leaving me behind! You scared me! Don't you want to be with me?"  
  
"Not really." Seto said, continuing down the hall. From behind him where the man stood there was silence. Then came a loud wail.  
  
"WHAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!" Dr. S cried. "HE NO LIKEY ME!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I JUST WANTED TO TAKE WALK!!!!!!!!! AAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!!!!!! FRANKIE!!!!!!! FRANCINCHIL!!!!!!! AAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHH!!!!!!"  
  
"Quiet! Shh! SHH!!!!!!!" Seto tried to get him to calm down, but it was too late. Guards came running down the corridor and soon Seto was surrounded once more.  
  
"Ok, Mr. Kaiba. Come on, Mr. Gice. Let's go." The lead guard said. "Back to your rooms, now."  
  
Mr. Gice, formerly known as Dr. S, nodded and said, "I was just taking a walk with my friend here."  
  
"That's nice. Hey, that's the first friend you've made here yet!" The guard said, leading him back into his room.  
  
"Yup!" He said as the door closed and locked. Then the guard took Seto back to his room and locked him in also.  
  
"He's not my friend." Seto said to the door.  
  
**************************************************************************  
  
{Daricio: The next morning}  
  
They had made plans for Shells and DVD to bring Yugi over at about 7:45 so that Yugi would be able to say goodbye to Grandpa and be walking in the general direction of the school building when he was brought over. Then nobody would notice that he was gone.  
  
It was a good plan. A great plan. One of the most organized, planned things that had happened since she had first gotten herself trapped in there. Unfortunetly, it didn't work.  
  
First, Yugi's alarm clock didn't go off when it was supposed to. Which, of course, meant that he overslept.  
  
Grandpa came running into the room piling Yugi's clothes on top of him from out of his closet, talking a mile a minute about getting to school on time, then finishing what he was saying and leaving the room, leaving Yugi, covered with random articles of clothing, having just woken up and wondering what in the world was going on. ( A/N: Is that a run on sentance? Technically, it isn't, but it is very long...)  
  
Yugi sat there, pulling a shirt off his head and staring at it, for about one minute before looking up at his clock and realizing what his grandpa had been trying to tell him. It was almost 7:30 already!  
  
He got up and, as quickly as he could, pulled on his clothes and dashed down the stairs. Looking up at the clock, he ran out the door because of lack of time to get anything to eat. "I'll get something at school!" He promised Grandpa on his way out.  
  
"Just don't get candy, and that'll be fine." Grandpa said, standing at the door to the game shop and watching Yugi run off.  
  
That's when the other bad thing happened. Bakura, who was also running late, came running up behind him.  
  
"Yugi! Wait up!" He called. Yugi looked over his shoulder to see who it was, slowing down so that he wouldn't run into anyone.  
  
"Oh, hi Bakura." Yugi said as Bakura ran up beside him, out of breath.  
  
"Hi. I guess we're both late for school today, huh?" Bakura asked. Yugi nodded slowly.  
  
"Yeah, I guess we are." He said. They continued walking down the street.  
  
They came to the crosswalk. Bakura ran across quickly, then turned around and realized that Yugi was still standing on the other side. Just then, the traffic changed and cars went racing by. By the time the light changed back to allow Yugi over, he was gone.  
  
Bakura had no idea where he went.  
  
**************************************************************************** **  
  
Just in case anyone was wondering, Bate' Bate' Chocolate' Con arosy Con tomate' Really does mean "Mix the chocolate with the tomato" in Spanish... I don't think that's how you spell it though. It's a really strange song I learned a long time ago that I just now had stuck in my head.  
  
Also, when Shells and DVD argue, they talk about Daricio walking home from school backwards every day. In real life, I take the bus home and the bus stops about a block away from my house. And so I walk backwards home from the bus stop. Every day. It's fun! It confuses people! ^_^ (By that I mean this: Just today, as I was walking backwards home, I got stared at by two people, and a car drove by me with the window open and the boy in the back seat yelled, "Weirdo!" at me! I like making people think I'm weird!)  
  
^_^  
  
Ok, now that you have read my really strange chapter of this story, You are allowed to go and read the rest of the fanfictions... See ya next chappie!  
  
--Daricio 


	23. More Bakura and the car ride to the Hosp...

Hey everyone!  
  
Ok, you have absoulutly NO idea how fun it was to write that last chappie.... It was hilarious, no? Very fun to read and write.....  
  
Pruningshears, (And anyone else interested) Sorry for the slight inconvinience and confusion that was created by my last intro thingymabobber..... I told you I was going to put another reason into the chapter, but then... I needed to have Bakura in that last scene there, sorta, and I didn't want to wait any longer to have that scene by putting in a Bakura POV, and then I forgot to go back to the intro and tell you that fact.... By doing this, I totally confuseded pruningshears..... I promise I will put in another Bakura POV in this chappie that will explain that "Other reason" I was talking about before... In fact, It shall be first thing, to make up for it not being there last chappie....  
  
To Kaos, who reviewed my last chappie. ???????????? What? Ok, you said something about "Honey I shrunk the kids," and I guess I can kinda see what that has to do with my story, but I don't get exactly what you meant.... other things in your review were also confusing. TO EVERYONE... Can you please make sure your reviews will make sense? I really do not like getting incomprehensible reviews...*Glances meaningfully at Kaos and Pruningshears (who's reviews have gotten better, thank you)* Incomprehinsible reviews neither encourage me or give me ideas or constructive critisism, and that is what the reviewing is for.... So, please. No run on sentances and abstract, half formed thoughts in your reviews... Thank you.  
  
(Speaking of constructive critisism, I really don't mind getting that.... In fact, if you have noticed things I messed up on, feel free to tell me. I need it. Also, feel free to ask any questions that you have... So anyways, thanks)  
  
By the way, Shells is still awaiting more reviews from you loverly people.... Cuz I now have a whole 62 reviews, (Thank you, thank you! *Bows*) but she only has 22..... That IS one more than last time, but still.... 62 to 22? She feels bad..... (Plus, now DVD hasn't been getting much reviews either... And now he's feeling bad too....) Thanks to anyone who contributes to them. (aka. "DMG" and anyone else who feels like contributing.)  
  
Did I mention that I love confusing people? I have two names... (In real life...) One is my real name, and the other is my nickname.... The teachers always have to correct papers, and they look at names on seating charts and whatever to pass back papers... So whenever they have my real name on the seating chart, I always put my nickname in the heading of my paper! And whenever the seating chart has my nickname on it, I put my real name in my heading! ^_^ Confusing, no? Yes! That and the fact that I walk backwards home from school every... wait, I said that already.... ^_^  
  
Ok, that was random....  
  
(If anyone wants to contact me outside of reviewing and you don't feel comfortable sending e-mails, there are two other ways to reach me... First off, I like to log onto neopets, and my screenname there is Daricio_ (What else would it be?) Also, I go onto AIM. My username for that is..... Daricio! (Again, what else?) So, if you want to contact me, that's the way to do it.)  
  
But now, without further adu... The fic! (Yea! I remembered the reason I started writing this intro in the first place! ^_^ )  
  
**************************************************************************  
  
{Bakura...(See, whaddid I tell ya?)}  
  
Last night was horrible. The Spirit of the Ring really knows how to make your life miserable... And still last a long time....  
  
Bakura shuddered as he tried to push the memories he had been forced to endure out of his head. They were now fresh in his mind, so of course forgetting them was pretty much impossible at the moment.  
  
He continued walking down the street. He knew he was late for school, but he really didn't care. He needed time to think and to clear his mind, and school was not the best place to go if you wanted to think about anything other than your classes. So he wasn't going today.  
  
He just kept walking and walking and walking, not really paying attention to where he was going.  
  
Up ahead, he suddenly spotted Yugi, running as fast as he could in the general direction of the school. He couldn't let Yugi know anything was wrong. He couldn't let anyone know.  
  
That meant that he had to act as normal as possible. So he had to go to school. He ran to catch up to Yugi.  
  
"Yugi, wait up!" He called, trying to sound cheerful. Yugi slowed down and looked over his shoulder at Bakura. Then he stopped completely to allow Bakura to catch up.  
  
"Oh, hi Bakura." Yugi said, sounding very worried.  
  
"Hi. I guess we're both late for school today, huh?" Bakura said, forcing a small smile onto his face. Yugi nodded slowly.  
  
"Yeah, I guess we are." He said. They continued walking down the street towards the school.  
  
Yugi seemed to have his mind on other things, and Bakura wasn't really wanting to talk to anyone anyway, so he didn't even try to start up a conversation. Instead, he was thinking to himself, and hoping the spirit of the ring was too tired to listen.  
  
//Man, I really can't go to school today. That stupid spirit. I wish I never got that ring....It's a good thing going to the shadow realm uses up so much of his energy or I know I'd be there more often than I'd like... I really don't want to go to school. But with Yugi here next to me, I really have no choice. Maybe if he disappeared...// Bakura shook his head slightly, pushing away the thought. //What am I doing wishing Yugi away after all he's done for me? And besides, what are the chances he'd disappear anyway?//  
  
He glanced over at Yugi who was staring at the sidewalk in front of him while he walked. He was definetly preoccupied with something...  
  
//Probably talking to Yami...// Bakura concluded. //He does that a lot, now... Course I can't ever talk to... Whoever he is... He doesn't want me to call him Yami, so of course I do, but he never tells me what I should call him... Stupid, really....//  
  
Bakura, again, wasn't really paying attention to where he was going, just walking next to Yugi and going in the general direction of the school. So, of course, he didn't notice when as he crossed the street, he left Yugi behind.  
  
After he got to the other side, he realized what had happened and turned around to wait for Yugi, who was just standing there still staring at the ground. The traffic changed, and cars began rushing by. Through the passing cars, he could still see Yugi on the other side, waiting.  
  
When the cars stopped once again to let Yugi over, however, he was gone. Bakura had absoulutly no idea where he went.  
  
//Now that's strange.... Where did he go?// He stood there staring at the other side of the street for a while, before realizing that he now didn't have to go to school. He crossed to the other side of the street again and began walking.  
  
As he walked, images and memories from the night before came swirling into his mind and he remembered them all over again.  
  
The apartment... The link... The orphanage.... Kaiba.... not being chosen.... and feelings too. Happiness...... (Although not very much).... Sadness..... anxiety...... loneliness...... disappointment...... pain....  
  
//That Spirit sure knows how to pick out all the worst memories...// Bakura thought bitterly. As if on cue, the spirit began whispering to him.  
  
//Yes, I do, don't I? I'm very good at that...// he said to him. Bakura shuddered again and closed his eyes.  
  
//Not....right....now...// He told the spirit.  
  
//Oh, but why not? It's FUN talking to you, little Ryou...And it's not like I have anything better to do...// The spirit was talking just as menacingly as was usual, but he sounded very tired. The night before had totally worn him out. Using the powers of the Ring and the Shadow Realm really saps your energy.  
  
Bakura was glad for that. It served him right.  
  
//Go away.// Bakura said, quickening his pace, as if that could get him to leave.  
  
The spirit just laughed. //I thought I told you, little Ryou.... I'll be with you forever....//  
  
//No! Just go away! And don't call me that!// Bakura said, walking even faster.  
  
//I told you that the first time we met.// The spirit continued. //I should think you would remember from last night.//  
  
Unbidden, the memory swirled back into Bakura's view. It wasn't the spirit doing it, as he was too tired, but that didn't stop Bakura from remembering yet again anyway.  
  
******************FLASHBACK TO LAST NIGHT***********************  
  
//Stop this! Stop it!!! Stop it now!!!!!!!!!// He screamed at the spirit.  
  
//Oh, but why? We still have something to do... Something to remember...Don't we?// he said evily.  
  
//No we don't! No!// Bakura cried. //No!//  
  
//Yes. Let's see it now.... Yes.... Let's see now... How much time... Ah... One and a half years from this point...// His Yami said.  
  
//No...// Bakura thought, realizing what the spirit was going to show him. His own adoption, and the gift of the ring...//No, spirit.... SPIRIT!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!//  
  
It was too late. The room shifted, and Bakura sunk into another wave of sorrow.  
  
The sorrow didn't come from the fact that Bakura was shifting. The sorrow was one of the relived feelings. Something he had felt before and was now being forced to relive.  
  
He was still in the orphanage. One and a half years later. Many people and parents had come to the orphanage. Many people had been picked. But not him. Not Ryou. Cause Ryou wasn't good enough.  
  
He was sitting on the bed. His bed. The same bed he had been assigned one and a half years before. Only now he had pushed it away from everyone else's and put up a little make shift curtain.  
  
Another couple was walking down the rows of beds, but this time, Ryou really didn't care. They weren't going to pick him anyway. Nobody ever did. He lay down on the bed and stared up at the ceiling. One of the lights was swaying. Back and forth and back and forth and back and forth.  
  
That light was always swaying. It was on a long cord hanging from the ceiling, and there was a window open up there. Domino, being Domino, always had a light breeze going through. So the light was always swaying.  
  
Back and forth and back and forth and back and forth and back and--  
  
"Hello. What's your name?" Came a voice, suddenly by his side. He jumped slightly and looked over. To his surprise, the couple was standing next to him, looking him over.  
  
"Ryou." He said. "Just Ryou."  
  
"What a nice name!" The lady turned to her husband. "And it would match with our last name SO nicely. Wouldn't it dear?"  
  
"Ryou Bakura?" The man said, thinking. "You're right, dear! It goes just perfectly!"  
  
Then they both turned to Ryou and smiled. "Come with us! We'll take you up to the front desk, and you'll have a nice, new home!"  
  
If this had happened a year ago, or even two weeks ago, Ryou would have been overjoyed, but as it was, he was just so surpirsed, that all he felt was a kind of a numb, tingly feeling. He got up from his bed and gathered his few belongings and took down his curtain.  
  
Then he took Mr. Bakura's hand and was led gently out of the room.  
  
//Fast forward// The spirit whispered. //Too many of those horrid goody feelings on the car ride home.//  
  
The room swirled and Ryou was in front of a house, just getting out of a car. He smiled up at the house. His house. The door opened and they all went inside. Ryou looked around. It was a fairly big house. Nothing too fancy. It was obvious that they only got a modest paycheck.  
  
Ryou loved it. It was the best place ever. This was the best place, the best family ever!  
  
//Whoops. Not far enough. Time to prove you wrong, little Ryou....//The spirit said, shifting the time forward again.  
  
//Spirit, stop it!// Bakura tried, and failed, once again. // This is enough!//  
  
He recieved only the familiar laughter in return.  
  
Ryou was lying in his new bed, in a bright blue room. It was now about three days later. He still loved his new home, even though he had to get used to a few new rules and habits of his new mother and father.  
  
For instance, his father only called him by his new last name, Bakura, and told him to, whenever he was asked, tell people that that was his name. Somehow, Ryou didn't mind that too much. He had often been told, at the orphanage, that his name was a girl's name and that he should change it, so this was definetly an improvement.  
  
It was now about 9:30 at night. Ryou tried to get to sleep, but his thoughts of things he had to remember about his new family kept interupting him.  
  
Suddenly, there was the sound of breaking glass coming from downstairs followed by a muffled exclamation of surprise.  
  
//Who's downstairs? Normally, around here, nobody stays up past ten. It's one of Father's rules...// Ryou thought to himself. He slipped out of bed, put on slippers and a bathrobe, and opened the door to his room.  
  
Now that the door was open, he could hear someone downstairs talking to themselves. Ryou listened hard. After several seconds, he recognized the voice to be that of his father.  
  
//Ah, but you knew that already...// The Spirit said, taunting Bakura.  
  
//Shut... Up... This... Instant... Or you will regret it....// Bakura said. The spirit laughed again.  
  
Strangely, his words were slurred slightly, as if he was having trouble saying them. Ryou went down to the bottom of the stairs and peeked around the corner towards the kitchen. His father was seated at the table faced away from Ryou. He was holding something in his hands, but as he was turned away, Ryou couldn't see it very well. There was a broken glass on the floor that had been knocked down, then forgotten.  
  
His father was still talking, semi-loudly, and slurring, to himself. ".......... magic..... stupid.... merchant........ Ring...... cheap jewelry....... Can't do anything with.......stupid buy......Ryou maybe...........he'd like it......stupid kid........Get rid of it...."  
  
"Father?" Ryou said softly, wondering what in the world he was talking about.  
  
His father obviously wasn't expecting him and whirled around in his chair, facing Ryou. Ryou gasped slightly. In one hand he held a golden object. Almost like a golden dreamcatcher. That wasn't what Ryou gasped about. In his father's other hand... Was a beer can.  
  
"Whaddya want?" His father grunted, still slurring his words heavily.  
  
Ryou chose to ignore the beer can. "What's that?" He asked, gesturing towards the dreamcatcher.  
  
His father looked drunkenly at it. "Ring." He said. "Why are you up so late?"  
  
"You are too..." Ryou pointed out softly. This was not the right thing to say.  
  
His father stood up and placed the beer can and the ring on the table. Then he took several drunken steps towards Ryou, bent down, looked straight into his eyes and asked, "Are you contridicting me, boy?"  
  
Ryou quickly shook his head no. "Of..of course not, sir..." He could smell the alcohol on his father's breath.  
  
Father straightened up. "I thought not." He said. "Now... What are you doing up so late, Bakura?"  
  
"I... I heard something break.... I wanted to know what it was..." Ryou said.  
  
"Oh..." His father glanced down at the broken cup on the floor. "It was nothing. Hit the darned thing and it fell.... But I'm glad you came down, Bakura. Very gald..er..Glad...."  
  
"Why?" Ryou asked.  
  
"The ring. I bought it, fool that I was, at a shop in... Egypt, I think it was.......Guy who sold it to me said it had magic.... that's a bunch of junk if you ask me.... Magic.... That could only be brought forth and released by the one destined to wear it....Big load of junk.... Fool that I was.... " He muttered to himself for a moment, then sat down in his chair again and returned his attention to Ryou. "Anyways, wanted to give it to you..."  
  
He handed Ryou the Ring. "Um... Thanks...." He was really confused. "But... Why.."  
  
"Why would I want to give something this valuable to a stupid brat like you?" His father asked. Ryou nodded slowly, running his finger over the triangle in the center of the ring, examining it closely.  
  
"Cheap imitation. Stupid cheap imitation. Stupid.... So, hey... Little stupid Ring.... Little stupid kid..." He shrugged.  
  
"Oh." Ryou didn't like being called stupid, but his father WAS drunk after all....  
  
"DON'T YOU "OH" ME, YOUNG MAN!!!!!!!!" Ryou's father suddenly burst out. "THAT'S PLAIN DISRESPECTFUL!!!!!!! Got it?!?! MY house! MY rules! YOU do what I say, got it? GOT IT?!?!?!?"  
  
Ryou's eyes opened wide and he nodded quickly. "Y-y-yes, sir."  
  
"No more Ryou! You are Bakura, got it? NO MORE RYOU!!!!!!! Stupid name... stupid..... Bakura now.... GOT IT?"  
  
Ryou nodded once more, backing slowly away from his father. "Yes.... Yes sir..."  
  
"And no more "Yessir" !!! You say, yes DAD... DAD! I'm your father! When someone is your father, you call them DAD!!!! Correct? Right!"  
  
Ryou nodded again. "Yes s- Dad.."  
  
His father glared at him, looking first at his face, then at the ring he held in his hands. "Don't you ever listen to me?!?!?!?! Dimwitted.... MY house! MY rules!!! Put that blasted thing on!"  
  
Ryou looked down at the ring and realized it had started glowing softly in his hands. Play of the light. His eyes playing tricks. It had to be. And he still didn't understand what his father was trying to tell him.  
  
"Put it...on? Oh...." He put the rope necklace around his neck. "Like this?"  
  
His father continued to glare at him, but nodded apporvingly. "When you get a gift, you use it. If it's clothing, you wear it. I gave that to you, you wear it. Don't ever let me catch you not wearing it. That's disrespectful of MY rules..."  
  
Ryou nodded again. His father sighed and threw his beer can to the floor with a crash, spilling it's contents everywhere. Ryou jumped.  
  
"How many times must I TELL you????" His father asked, holding his head in his hands. "MY rules..."  
  
Ryou nodded again.  
  
"Y-y-your rules." He said. "Yup"  
  
"ENOUGH WITH THE NODDING!!!!!!!!!!!!!! You look like an Idiot when you do that! Nod Nod Nod! Stupid bobblehead toy... ENOUGH!!!!"  
  
Ryou started to nod, then caught himself. "Yessir...er...Dad..."  
  
Ryou's father shot a death glare at him. "Bakura..." He said warningly.  
  
"C-can I go to bed now?" Ryou asked. His father continued to glare at him for several seconds, then finally nodded his approval and turned his attention to opening another can.  
  
Ryou escaped as fast as his legs would carry him up the stairs. Before, he hadn't wanted to mess anything up so his new family would like him. Now he REALLY didn't want to mess anything up, for fear that his dad would yell some more, or do anything worse.  
  
The Spirit of the Ring cackled, and Bakura frowned. //Anything worse? You better believe there's worse! That was nothing! Man, you are so soft and weak it's not even funny!//  
  
//Shut up! I'm not weak.// Bakura said. //Maybe I was then, but...//  
  
Ryou lay down on his bed, breathing hard. //What just happened?// He asked himself, looking down at the ring which was now lying on his chest. He took it off and placed it on the table next to his bedside.  
  
Ryou retreated to his soul room once again. Something he hadn't done since a couple of days after coming to the orphanage. His soul room was now dusty. He began organizing, cleaning, and anything else he could do to get his mind off of his father.  
  
After a while, he looked over into the corner of the room, where, in his old soul room, there had been the link. Now there was nothing. Absoulutly nothing. There had never been since that day.  
  
Bakura braced himself. He already knew what was coming and he dreaded having to do it again.  
  
There was not even a speck of mental dust or clutter in that spot. It was as bare as it was any other time he had looked there in the past one and a half years. But wait. What was that?  
  
Ryou went closer to it and began inspecting it carefully. There was a link there. A mental link. It was a very small, tiny link, but it was there. Ryou pushed himself away from it, not wanting to endure going through a link and being an orphan again.  
  
//And yet, look what you're having to do now.// The spirit teased Bakura. //Enduring it again!// He said, using Bakura's own old thoughts against him.  
  
There was a sort of an essence, pulling him closer to it. Ryou pushed himself farther away, but as he did, the thing got bigger and more powerful. It ended up getting closer, and closer, and bigger, and bigger. It was invading his soul room!  
  
Ryou tried to get even more away, but found himself backed into a wall. He couldn't get the soul room to get any bigger. He was trapped! And the thing kept getting bigger. And closer. It was pressing him in, now.  
  
He opened his physical eyes with a gasp. Briefly, mentally, he checked over his soul room. It was just as it had been. Except that, where the link was, a very small door had appeared. He decided he wasn't going to go anywhere near that door.  
  
Unfortunetly, as he lay in bed staring at the blue ceiling of his new room, the door had other plans. It began to creak open slowly and soon, a person entered Ryou's soul room.  
  
He looked around the room, then, finally spotting Ryou, grinned. "Well, well. You certainly took your dear, blasted time getting me here."  
  
Ryou shivered. "What do you mean? What are you talking about? Who are you? How did you get here?" The person only grinned again.  
  
"I only took the time and energy to set up that link to bring you here and release me, what, a year ago? No, a year and a half ago. And you're only just now getting here." He shook his head, then grinned again. "Pity. We could have had more fun earlier, little Ryou."  
  
"How do you know my name?"  
  
"Well, you see, Little Ryou... The only way I could get out, was if the destined one came to me." He grinned once again. "And guess what, little destined one?... You came."  
  
*************************END OF FLASHBACK************************  
  
Bakura's thoughts were interupted very abruptly, because at that point, he was going so fast, he ran into somebody.  
  
"Hey!" The person said, as their books and papers went flying everywhere. "Watch where you're going!"  
  
"Sorry!" Bakura said, dropping to his knees to help pick everything up. The Spirit of the Ring laughed at him.  
  
//And this is what you amount to, little Ryou... Sitting on the ground, picking up papers for someone who SHOULD have had them in her BACKPACK, but didn't.// The spirit taunted him. He ignored him.  
  
"Oh! Hi, Bakura!" The person said, recognizing him. Bakura looked up. It was Tea.  
  
"Hi, Tea. Sorry about this." He said, putting on an apoligetic grin.  
  
"Oh, it's ok, Bakura. Are you Ok? We rammed into each other pretty hard..." Tea said, grabbing her math book off the concrete and giving him a concerned look.  
  
"Oh, I'm fine. I should have been paying attention." Bakura said. He gave Tea the rest of her papers and books, then got up.  
  
"Are you sure?" Tea said.  
  
"Yes, I'm fine. I'll see you later, ok?" He continued walking down the street, no longer really caring that she would think something was wrong if he didn't go to school.  
  
"Ok, bye." Tea said, going in the other direction. Suddenly she stopped and turned around to face Bakura's retreating form.  
  
"But wait.... School's....that...way.." Her voice trailed off as she realized that he was ignoring her. "Well, that's strange." She commented to herself, before turning and heading off to school.  
  
Bakura just kept walking. And walking. And walking. As if by walking he could escape his troubles. Escape his yami. Escape his past. He just walked. And walked. And walked. and....walked.  
  
*******************************************************************  
  
Whoo! Ok, people... after all that misery and such, I can't continue the story without an interlude. Time to pick on Seto!!!!!  
  
*******************************************************************  
  
{Interlude: Seto Kaiba} (Did I not just say this?)  
  
"Mr. Kaiba, time to get up! It be social breakfast time!"  
  
Seto opened his eyes and grumbled a short, curt, "go away." He had a whopper headache from the night before.  
  
"Mr. Kaiba."  
  
Seto slowly sat up and glared at the man. Suddenly, he realized what the man was doing. He was holding the door open, and gesturing for Seto to follow him out of the room. He got up and went over.  
  
"What?" He asked.  
  
"Social breakfast." The man repeated. "Normally we keep all yous fellers all locked up in yer rooms, but if we kept ya in ther all th' time, ya'd be even more nuts than ya are, eh, laddie? So, every breakfast, we let everyone eat together... ya know... Socialize...  
  
A smile spread over Seto's face as he realized what that meant. He would be able to plan with Mokuba. "Ok, then. Let's go."  
  
The man nodded and led him down the hall to a big room full of tables. It reminded Seto strangely of the school cafeteria, only a little bigger. Although, the school lunchroom didn't have blue padded walls.  
  
Once Seto was inside the room, the man shut the doors and locked them, then went down the hall to get more people.  
  
Seto looked around the room. Finally, he spotted Mokuba, waiting for him at an empty table. He hurried over and slid into the seat next to him. Mokuba smiled slightly at him.  
  
"You tried to get out last night." He stated. Seto frowned and looked down at the table.  
  
"I wouldn't really call it trying." Seto said. "I had... A visitor last night."  
  
Mokuba's smile turned into a confused frown. "Who would?--"  
  
"MR. SETO THE DOOR!!!! Mr. The Door! Mr. The Door! Hello!" an annoyingly familiar voice called.  
  
Seto groaned slightly, turning towards the person who was now frantically trying to push his way through the crowd towards Seto.  
  
"Mr. The Door!" Mr. Gice called again. "I got new name, Mr. The Door!"  
  
Seto cradled his forhead in his hands, resting his elbows on the table in front of him and groaned again.  
  
"Seto? Big Brother, who's that? Why's he calling you that?" Mokuba asked, his smile slowly coming back to his face.  
  
"Never mind, Mokuba. Long story. I'll tell you later. For now, just ignore this guy." Seto instructed.  
  
"Mr. The Door!" Mr. Gice finally made his way through the crowd and sat at the table opposite from Seto and Mokuba. "Hello! Long time no see!"  
  
Seto followed his own advice and ignored him.  
  
"I got a new name, Mr Seto!" Mr. Gice proudly announced once again. "It's Scott!!! Great Scott! Or you can call me G.S.! Or Bob! Or George! Or you can just call me Dr. S."  
  
"Seto.... What IS his name?" Mokuba asked softly.  
  
"Mr. Gice, I think." Seto replied. "He thinks his name is..."  
  
"Great Scott, huh?" Mokuba asked Mr. Gice. "Why?"  
  
Mr. Gice smiled and leaned forward on the table closer to Mokuba, as if he were about to tell him a great secret. "Well, you see, I was walkin' down the hallways a bit last night, ya know how I like my walks and all, right Mr. Thedoor?" Seto frowned. "Anyways, This guy suddenly sees me. He musta recognized me pretty good, cuz he knew my new name even fore I did! His eyes opened wide and suddenly he says, "Great Scott! It's You!" And he ran off really quick like. So that must be my name, see?"  
  
Seto shook his head. "Why am I not surprised?" He asked himself.  
  
Mokuba was struggling not to laugh. Mr. Gice was looking very pleased with himself. Mokuba leaned over to Seto.  
  
"This guy is hilarious! When we get out, we have to let him out too. He's really not such a bad guy!" He said. Seto replied by groaning slightly again. Mr. Gice just smiled.  
  
"Well, won't that be fun, then? So, Mr. Thedoor... Where we goin'?"  
  
*******************************************************************  
  
{Shells}  
  
"That was cutting it just a little close." Yugi said, sighing. "Bakura almost saw me disappear!"  
  
"Sorry. I snoozed my alarm clock. Not my fault...." Shells said.  
  
"I know, you're right. But still..."  
  
"Alright. Are you ready to go?" DVD asked.  
  
"Yup. Well... except one thing."  
  
"What?"  
  
"Can I have something to eat? I missed breakfast..." Yugi said, grinning slightly.  
  
"Um... Not right now, Ok? I'll bring some cheerios or something on the car ride there."  
  
"Ok. That's fine." Yugi said. There was a small pause, then he said, "Uh, Yami wants to tell you guys something..."  
  
"Ok."  
  
Yugi let Yami come out. He was just about to say whatever it was he was going to say, when the door suddenly burst open and Jrj entered.  
  
Yami froze.  
  
"Hey, guys. Ready to go? I just left my deck in here..." He went over to the far side of the room and grabbed his deck off of a shelf. "There. Ok, if you're not ready, get ready. See ya, Shells. See ya, DVD. Bye, Yami."  
  
He exited the room and closed the door behind him. Out in the hallway, he suddenly stopped.  
  
"Wait...."  
  
He reentered the room and took a quick look around. Then he looked at his watch.  
  
"Ok, I need something to wake me up... I coulda SWORN I just saw..." He left again, heading downstairs.  
  
Yami got up from where he had quickly hidden behind the tin after Jrj had left the first time.  
  
"I still don't get it." He mumbled. "I just don't get it."  
  
"What?"  
  
"How can everyone tell us apart???" He asked, shaking his head.  
  
//Get used to it, Yami.// Shells suddenly heard.  
  
//I can't!// Yami's voice this time.  
  
"Hey..... Cool!" Shells said. DVD had the same look of wonder on his face.  
  
"What?" Yami asked.  
  
"Because of our link with Daricio... I can hear your guy's conversation!"  
  
"Huh?"  
  
"Yeah!" DVD cried.  
  
"What?" Yami was confused. "What do you mean?"  
  
"I mean, I just heard you guys! Because of our many links, we can all talk mentally, as long as we're close enough to each other!" Shells said.  
  
//Ok, cool.// DVD commented.  
  
//Woah... Weird.// They all heard Daricio's voice. Shells grinned.  
  
//This also proves something else.// She told them all. //This means that it's true. If we can get Daricio's soul close enough to her body, she should be able to get through!//  
  
Everyone smiled. Then Shells packed the Yugi tin into her backpack and stood up. DVD gently picked Yami up and held him in his hand.  
  
Yami sat down so as to decrease his visibility. Then, thinking better of it, allowed Yugi to take over once again to further decrease visibility.  
  
Suddenly, Shells remembered something.  
  
//Yami?// She asked.  
  
//What?//  
  
//You were going to tell us something... What was it?//  
  
There was a pause.  
  
//You expect me to remember what I was going to say after THAT?// Yami replied.  
  
Shells grinned at the defensive note in Yami's voice.  
  
They all went out to the car and sat in the back seat. Jrj was already in the car, playing his Game Boy Advance once again, and munching on some cookies.  
  
Soon, they were underway, towards the hospital!  
  
DVD let Yugi stand on the armrest that was up against the window. Daricio and Yami both assumed their temporary physical forms.  
  
Daricio stared out the window in wonder. "Cool..." She whispered. "It's my town, only... bigger.... There's the sign we always pass... and that old building.... And there's our church..." Her voice faded away as she began just simply staring out the window.  
  
Everyone else was watching her with mild amusement.  
  
Once the car had gone out of familiar territory, Daricio changed what she was looking at. She looked down.  
  
//Line, line, line, line, line, line, line, line, line, line, line, line, line, line, line, line,-//  
  
//Daricio, stop it! You're going to make yourself and all of us carsick!// Yugi said, a strange cross between a frown and a bemused grin on his face.  
  
//Oh, sorry.//  
  
//Look at something farther away.// Yami suggested.  
  
//Ok. Let's see..... Tree, Tree, Tree, Tree, Tree, Tree, Tree, Tree, Tree, tree, tree, tree, tree, tree, tree, tr-//  
  
//Daricio!//  
  
//Sorry.//  
  
There was silence for a few moments, before Yugi suddenly realized something. //Um... Did anybody bring anything to eat?//  
  
//Uh.... No..... Sorry..// DVD said. He looked over the seat at Jrj. He had a small pile of cookies by his side. Very small. Like, four left. He reached out and quickly snatched one.  
  
//Uh... This may be a bit big... but, here.// DVD said, placing it in front of Yugi. His eyes widened.  
  
"Wow... Biiiiiiiiiiiig cookie...." He commented. Daricio turned from the window to see. Her eyes widened as well.  
  
"Yup. Big cookie." She agreed.  
  
Shells giggled slightly. //Well, we can all talk in big sentances today, huh?//  
  
This earned her funny looks from DVD and Yami and... no response from Yugi (Who was now eating) and Daricio. (Who had gone back to staring out the window)  
  
Shells laughed.  
  
The rest of the car ride was rather uneventful, except when the car went over a bump and Yugi's cookie rolled away under the seat in front of him. It seemed like almost no time at all had passed before the car was pulling up into the parking lot of the hospital.  
  
**********************************************************************  
  
Ok, that's the end of the chappie for now... I hope you liked it! Now you must wait for my next chapter before you can find out what happens!!! Bwahahahaha!  
  
Ok, well... I really need to end the chappie and get it posted up... Or else I'll have a bunch of people mad at me for not posting it.... So, I'll see ya next chappie, and please review!  
  
--Daricio 


	24. More Stuff Happens

Hey everyone!  
  
How is you? If you're not feeling good right now, you probably will by the time you get done reading this... I have gotten really upset that my story has gotten so sad and angsty... So I have gone to great lengths to make sure this chapter is funny.  
  
I got several comments in particular about the Bakura ("Misspelled!") POV's ("Misspelled!") being way too sad and torture-filled. So now it's time for Ryou's ("Misspelled!") revenge!!!!! Bakura's ("Misspelled!") POV ("Misspelled!") is really interesting in this chappie... ("Misspelled!")  
  
Ok, now this is getting annoying... We just got this new WordScribe thing uploaded onto our computer and every time you misspell a word, instead of underlining it, it shouts "Misspelled!" at you... This means that every time I type the word Bakura ("Misspelled!") or the word Yugi ("Misspelled!") or Yami ("Misspelled!") or even Daricio ("Misspelled!"), it shouts "Misspelled!" at me. So I end up hearing, "Misspelled!.... Misspelled! Misspelled!....Misspelled!..... MISSPELLED!!!!!!!!!!!" Stupid crazy computer... Almost as bad as Kaiba's ("Misspelled!") stupid, annoying AI. ("Misspelled!") *sigh*  
  
*Shuts off sound on her computer* Much better.  
  
Ok, now that that's done and over with... Let's get on with the fic! ("Misspelled!") STUPID THING!!!! *Turns sound off again*  
  
*******************************************************************  
  
{Joey} ("Misspelled!") (A/N: AAAARGH!!!!!!!!! ("Misspelled!") Stupid thing!!!!! *Kills sound* Much better.... Now then... On with the fic...("Misspelled!")  
  
*******************************************************************  
  
{Joey} ("Misspelled!") (A/N: AAAARGH!!!!!!!!! ("Misspelled!") Stupid thing!!!!! *Kills sound* Much better.... Now then... On with the fic...("Misspelled!")  
  
********************************************************************  
  
AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAARRRRRRRRRRRGGGGGGGGGHHHHHHH!!!!!!!!!!! ("Misspelled!") *Shuts off WordScribe* Now why didn't I think of that before? *Shrugs* Oh, well... Now then... LET'S START THE FIC!!!!("Misspelled!")..........  
  
*********************************************************************  
  
{Joey} ("Misspelled!") (A/N: I thought I turned that thing off!.... *Uninstalls it* Ha! ("Misspelled!") ..... *Grumble Grumble* WILL THIS STUPID THING LET ME START MY FIC ("Misspelled!") ALREADY?!?!?!?!? hmmm ("Misspelled!") ...... let me try something... j j j j j j ..... *silence* ok... so "j" is a word? And "ha" ("Misspelled!") is not? Weird..... *Shuts off sound again and duct tapes it off* There!  
  
**********************************************************************  
  
{Joey} ("Misspelled!") (A/N: .... That's it... I'm ignoring that.... Maybe then it will shut off...)  
  
***********************************************************************  
  
{Joey}  
  
//And that means the answer has got to be... uh... er... the square root of 2 + 8? Or 28? Or...// Joey glanced over at Yugi's desk where he usually turned to get help with his work.  
  
But Yugi wasn't here today. Joey sighed and returned his attention to the problem. Or at least he tried to.  
  
//Why isn't Yuge here today? Did Shells an DVD bring im over and find Daricio? If so, how they going to get her back? What's Yuge going to have to do?// he glanced back at Yugi's empty chair again. In doing so, he caught Tristan's eye, who was also looking at Yugi's empty chair and was probably wondering the same things.  
  
Joey looked slowly around the classroom at everyone. Tristan looked worried. Tea, who had run into class a little late looked worried. Bakura... Wasn't there, for some reason.... Also, he hadn't noticed before, but Kaiba wasn't there either... In fact, Joey couldn't remember seeing him there for a while.  
  
//Where is everyone?// Joey wondered to himself. He would have to go and find them after school. In fact, he decided that that was exactly what he was going to do.  
  
With this conclusion in mind, Joey was able to focus on his math while he waited for school to end, even though it had barely started.  
  
The rest of the day passed slowly. Extremely slowly. Snail pace slowly. Exhaustingly slowly. But it did finally come to an end.  
  
When the last bell rang, Joey was out of his 6th period class as quickly as humanly possible. He ran to his locker... And let out a groan. Somebody had duct taped his locker shut... Again!  
  
He put his bag down and began the horrible chore of peeling off all that tape.  
  
The duct tape, being duct tape, was extremely hard to pull off of the cold metal, and when it finally did release it, it left a sticky film that Joey knew wouldn't come off for weeks.  
  
Finally, after about 20 minutes, he was able to get almost all of the tape off. Enough for his locker to be able to open anyway.  
  
He fumbled with the lock for a moment, and then pulled on the handle. Nothing. It was stuck. He did his combo again, but still, the door held fast.  
  
//Stupid sticky stuff from the tape must be jamming the door! Of all the luck!// Joey thought to himself. He sighed, then gave his locker a good solid kick. It rattled for a few seconds, then creaked slowly open. Joey stared at it.  
  
//Stupid thing...// He muttered to himself, pulling the door open the rest of the way and dumping all of his schoolbooks inside.  
  
Then, with one final glance in the mirror, he slammed the door shut and started down the hall towards the main hall, trying to wipe the sticky goo off of his hands as he went. Behind him, he heard a small crash as his mirror came unstuck from the back of his locker and fell with a bang onto the other miscellaneous items in his locker.  
  
He winced slightly. "I hope that didn't break." He groaned.  
  
"I wouldn't think so." Tea said, coming up behind him and startling him. "We have pretty small lockers, so it didn't fall very far."  
  
He glanced at his locker again and shrugged. "Stupid thing anyway." he told her.  
  
She smiled. "So Joey, what are you doing still here at school on a Friday?" She asked him. Joey gestured over his shoulder in the general direction of the school with a jerk of his thumb.  
  
"Some idiot duct taped my locker shut," he told her, grimacing.  
  
She giggled. "Again?"  
  
"T's not funny."  
  
"Yes it is."  
  
Joey frowned and decided to change the subject before he was embarrassed any further.  
  
"Yuge and Bakura weren't at school today." he commented.  
  
Tea's smile immediately vanished. "Well... I saw Bakura on my way to school this morning. But he was going the wrong way." She said, frowning.  
  
"Where do ya suppose he was goin'?" Joey asked.  
  
"I dunno." Tea said. "He looked like he was headed to the park."  
  
"But what would he want at the park on a school day?" Joey wondered, mostly to himself.  
  
"Who knows?" Tea said, sounding worried as usual. She glanced down at her watch. Then she looked at it more closely. "Oh, no!" She said suddenly.  
  
"What?"  
  
"I'm late for a very important meeting for the Friendship Speech Club! I've got to go, Joey! See ya!" Tea dashed off down the street.  
  
Joey stared after her for a moment, wondering why in the world she would want to go to any friendship speech club, then remembered that this was Tea he was talking about, shook his head, and started off towards his house to drop off his stuff before searching for Yugi and Bakura.  
  
When he reached the bottom of his driveway, he noticed that nobody had gotten the mail for the day. He opened the mailbox and pulled out a bundle of letters.  
  
As he walked up to and inside the front door, he flipped through the letters, checking to see if any of them were for him.  
  
"Bill, bill, bill, ad, junk, ad, bill, ad..." Joey said. "Ad, ad, bill, junk, thing for dad from his cousin, ad, bill,... Hey, what's this?"  
  
He tossed the rest of the letters aside onto the table and took his letter to his room and sat on his bed.  
  
The letter was addressed to a Mr. Joe Seph Wheeeler. It was from KaibaCorp.  
  
Joey stared at the letter for a few moments.  
  
//Joe Seph? // He wondered. //What's with that? Can't ANYBODY ever get my name right? And why am I getting stuff from KaibaCorp, anyhow? //  
  
He sat still staring at it, wondering what in the world Kaiba wanted. Finally, bracing himself for Kaiba's insults letter style, he opened the envelope and read the letter. It read:  
  
"Dear Mr. Wheeeler:  
  
Due to the absence of Mr. Seto Kaiba as our CEO due to medical problems, you have been painstakingly chosen from the millions of eligible people in the world to serve as the head, or CEO in his place until the time he is able to return, though unfortunately, we don't think he'll return for a while.  
  
Translated, this means that Seto Kaiba finally got sent to the nuthouse, and you get to have his job because we are trying to make him as absolutely mad as possible.  
  
If you accept this offer, please report to the top office of KaibaCorp at 10:00 sharp tomorrow morning. If you do not accept the offer, show up at the top office of KaibaCorp at 10:00 sharp tomorrow morning anyway, because you still get the job. We will discuss what kind of work you'll be doing and your pay then. Until tomorrow,  
  
--Weevil Underwood"  
  
Joey stared at the letter. He reread it over and over and over and over. Slowly, a grin slowly formed on his face. His mind was racing with questions such as, why Kaiba had gotten sent to the nuthouse, why Weevil was in charge, and why Weevil had chosen him, but there was one thought that mainly dominated his mind.  
  
//I wonder if Kaiba knows about this? //  
  
***********************************************************************  
  
{Daricio}  
  
When the car pulled into a parking spot and the engine shut off, Daricio and Yami returned to Yugi's soul room, though still watching everything that was going on through Yugi's eyes. Yugi chose DVD's pocket for his means of transportation, climbing up DVD's shirt and settling inside the pocket, much to DVD's amusement.  
  
Then they got out of the car and everyone headed up to the hospital. Once they got to Daricio's room, Shells and DVD took their accustomed seats and Yugi peeked his head out of the pocket to get a look around.  
  
//This is weird. // Daricio commented, referring to the fact that she was watching a large version of herself lying knocked out in a hospital room. Yugi and Yami agreed with her.  
  
//Daricio, try the door now! Maybe this is close enough, and we won't have to raise anyone's suspicions by getting any closer! //  
  
//Right. // Daricio replied.  
  
She went over to the door. Then, with encouraging grins from Yugi and Yami, she turned the handle and pulled as hard as she could. It still didn't budge. She sighed, and then pulled even harder.  
  
Yami came over to help her. Then Yugi did. But even with all three of them pulling their hardest, the door refused to move.  
  
//Not working, Shells! We'll have...to get... Closer! // Daricio said.  
  
Shells and DVD got up from their chairs and walked over to Daricio's side. DVD gently but quickly took Yugi out of his pocket and, making sure to keep him out of sight, put him in Daricio's hand.  
  
//Now try! // Shells said.  
  
//We are! It's still not working!// Yugi said.  
  
Finally, exhausted, they stopped their pulling, sat on the floor of the soul room, and glared at the door, trying to figure out what to do next.  
  
Suddenly, Daricio noticed something inscribed on the door very faintly. She got a little closer to it and looked hard at it. She wasn't sure, as she didn't really know what it looked like, but she was pretty sure that it was written in Egyptian. Hoping that Yami remembered enough to read the words, she pointed it out to him.  
  
He stared at the inscription for several minutes, during which Shells and DVD had retreated with Yugi back to their chairs. Slowly, a smile spread over his face and he began to chuckle slightly.  
  
"What does it say, Yami?" Daricio asked.  
  
"Push." Yami said.  
  
There were several moments of silence.  
  
"Oh." Daricio said. "Right. I pulled it to go in, I push to go out. Duh..."  
  
There were several more seconds of silence before Yugi broke it.  
  
"You mean you could have gotten out the whole time?!?" He asked loudly.  
  
Daricio shrugged. "I guess."  
  
//It's times like these I wish I could fall down anime style. // DVD commented. Shells agreed.  
  
Daricio shrugged again, then turned the doorknob and pushed. The door opened. Daricio shook her head.  
  
"I have GOT to learn how to read Egyptian." She muttered to herself. She went through the door and held onto the link.  
  
It had gotten incredibly smaller than last time, and she could already see the door leading into her own soul room from there, not more than 10 feet away.  
  
She closed Yugi's door and took a few steps into the hallway. When she was about 5 feet from her door, she felt, once again, the same pressing, cold feeling that she had felt going the other way. Then, as it had before, it went away. Or at least the pressing did. It was still slightly cold.  
  
She walked the remaining 5 feet to her door and went into her soul room. It looked just like it had before she had left to go into Yugi's mind, except that one shelf was overflowing with sheets of paper.  
  
"Oops. I knew I shouldn't have done that quite like that." She thought to herself. Another piece of paper appeared on the top of the pile. Daricio shrugged. "I'll sort out my thoughts later. Right now, I need to tell everyone I'm all right..."  
  
Then she sighed as yet another sheet appeared.  
  
She noticed that the room had warmed up again, now that she was back in it. She opened her physical eyes and tried to look around. Everything was still a little bleary, but she knew that would clear up soon.  
  
She tried to sit up, then let out a small groan as she fell back down onto the pillow. It seemed like every muscle in her body was sore from having not moved for... How many days? Too long. She felt that pins and needles feeling in her toes and fingers as they came awake again.  
  
Mom looked up and noticed Daricio attempting to get up.  
  
"Daricio!" She cried. She got up and gave Daricio a big hug, causing her aching muscles to cry out.  
  
"Mom. Mom..." Daricio mumbled. "I'm fine, really... ow... Um...Mom..."  
  
"Oh, Daricio!!!!!" Mom sobbed.  
  
It wasn't long before everyone had noticed what had happened and was crowding around Daricio's bed.  
  
Daricio got hugs from Dad, from Mom, from Jrj, from Shells, from DVD, and, (Daricio guessed) a slightly squashed Yugi, judging from the fact that he was still in DVD's pocket.  
  
DVD must have realized this, because he pulled away suddenly and went over to a corner.  
  
He opened the backpack, which was still sitting on a chair, pulled out the Yugi tin, whispered a hurried "Sorry," and a "thanks" and a "see ya" to Yugi, then sent him home.  
  
After that, there was much hugging, happiness, and joy. (Slight exaggeration) Also, Daricio saying over and over, "I'm fine! I'm fine! Really! You can get off now!"  
  
And all the while, the doctor stood in the doorway, looking on with amazement at Daricio's sudden recovery. He looked from her, to his clipboard, to her, to his clipboard again. He left the room and came back holding two clipboards. Then he began looking from one to the other and back again, searching for differences.  
  
It didn't take long before Daricio noticed this, of course.  
  
//Shells, what's the doctor doing over there with TWO clipboards? Doesn't each patient get only one clipboard? // she asked.  
  
Shells suddenly remembered something. //You'll probably want to ask him. I might leave something out. // She said. DVD nodded in agreement. Nobody except him, Shells and Daricio knew what in the world he was nodding about, but they didn't care.  
  
Daricio shrugged slightly, then turned to the doctor. "Whatcha doing?" she asked, her curiosity now at full level.  
  
"Comparing charts." He said, still looking from one to the other.  
  
"Well yeah, obviously, but why?"  
  
He looked up. "You see, before you came in here, there was another person with the same symptoms as you. He's been in here for over two years, though, and nobody knows who he is. Well, your sister there seemed to recognize him, but she wouldn't tell ME anything. But anyway, I'm comparing these charts because-"  
  
"Because you figure that now that I'm better, he might be able to get better also." Daricio said, nodding.  
  
The doctor confirmed that. "Yes, exactly."  
  
//And you are NOT going to believe who it is. // Shells commented.  
  
Daricio pondered this for a moment, before looking up and grinning. "Can I see him?" She asked.  
  
The doctor looked startled, then worried. "I don't know if you should be out of bed yet." He told her.  
  
Daricio put on a face of mock disbelief. "Why not?" she asked. Then she got out of bed, feeling, as she said, just fine.  
  
He nervously bit his lip and gave her another worried look, then sighed and finally agreed. "If you really want to..."  
  
So with the whole family following to make sure she didn't fall or something, ("No, Mom, I don't need to hold your hand. I feel fine, really. I can walk.") The doctor led her down the hall.  
  
When she entered the room and saw who it was, the first thing she did was to contact Yugi.  
  
Running to her mental door, she pulled it open and called, "Yugi, I think you should see this!"  
  
The other door opened and Yugi looked out into the hallway. Daricio could see Yami behind him.  
  
"What?" Yugi asked. He grinned. "Miss me already?"  
  
"No... You should see this." Daricio told him again.  
  
Yugi turned and told Yami to take over for a moment, then jogged across the hallway and into Daricio's soul room.  
  
"What?" He asked again.  
  
"Look. Through my eyes, I mean." Daricio instructed him.  
  
He did. And he, like Daricio, was amazed by what he saw.  
  
***************************************************************************  
  
{Bakura}  
  
Bakura was exhausted. Absolutely exhausted. He had been pretty much walking around Domino City in circles for the past few hours. Now he was coming up to the park again. He entered it and sat down under a big oak tree.  
  
He curled up into a ball, folding his arms on top of his knees.  
  
He had been holding back all day, but now he just couldn't stop the tears from running down his face. He buried his face in his arms to hide the fact that he was crying, but unfortunately, the one person he really wanted to hide his tears from could see it all no matter what he did.  
  
As he sat there in the grass under the great oak tree with the sun just starting to set behind the blue hills in the distance, his yami ridiculed him. Tortured him. Hated him.  
  
Suddenly, Bakura grew determined. He had had enough. In his soul room, he stood and faced the spirit.  
  
"Shut. Up. Now." He said slowly, fire burning in his eyes. His yami looked at him curiously. Then he laughed.  
  
"And what are you going to do about it little Ryou?" he asked. Then he sneered. "You gunna hit me or something?"  
  
Bakura got an idea. Ignoring his yami's question, he did something he had never before dared to do. He confidently strode over to the door in his soul room, the one that led into the depths of the ring, and went inside.  
  
The spirit narrowed his eyes at him. "Now where in the world do you think you're going?" He asked. He followed him closely into the room.  
  
Again, Bakura simply ignored him and walked to the center of the room. Then he turned to face his crazed yami, who was giving him a mixed look of hatred, confusion, and curiosity.  
  
"You know, you're not the only one who can use the powers of this ring." He commented. He let his words sink in for a moment before adding, "I can too."  
  
Before the spirit had a chance to react, Bakura closed his eyes and concentrated on the mystical energies he had been able to sense when he entered the room. Immediately, it seemed that he was filled with power! It felt almost as if he could do anything! It was a good feeling.  
  
Even though he had his eyes closed, he could feel his yami just about to tackle him. Barely even needing to put any effort into it, he quickly formed a thick force shield between them.  
  
The spirit ran into it, then glared at him, pounding his fists against it. Bakura opened his eyes.  
  
"Stop this at once, Ryou Kayoto! You don't know what you're doing!" the spirit raged.  
  
Bakura winced slightly at the use of his old name, but brushed it off. He did not weaken the force shield one bit. In fact, he made it a lot stronger. It shoved the spirit away from it hard, slamming him into a wall of the room.  
  
"Ryou!" The spirit yelled.  
  
Bakura gave him an innocent look. //What's your real name? What were you like when you were little? // he asked softly, using the link instead of spoken words.  
  
"What does THAT have to do with anything? Stop this, Ryou! You have absolutely NO clue what you're doing! You're going to end up hurting someone!"  
  
"Like YOU really care if anyone but you gets hurt." Bakura shot at him. "You're a cruel, cold hearted-"  
  
The spirit sank to his knees, knowing he couldn't get at Bakura, and glared at him. "I wasn't always..." He muttered, looking away.  
  
"So, what were you like when you were little?" Bakura asked again.  
  
The spirit exploded, throwing himself at the shield that was now separating them. "That is of no importance!! It means nothing! Why must you be so blasted irritating?"  
  
The barrier forced him away, and he was thrown heavily into the wall once again.  
  
"I want to know." Bakura said calmly. "That makes it perfectly relevant, I would think. But, seeing as you're not going to answer any of my questions, I'll have to answer them myself."  
  
"What in tarnation are you babbling about? Get rid of this stupid shield!" Roared the spirit.  
  
Bakura nodded. "Ok." He said. "But first..."  
  
Bakura closed his eyes once again so as to be able to focus the powers of the ring once again. Suddenly, the park outside swirled.  
  
//You know as well as I do that I hate going to the Shadow Realm, but in order to do this, I have to. So...//  
  
Sure enough, when the swirling stopped, they were in the Shadow Realm.  
  
By now the spirit had figured out what Bakura was doing. "No." he whispered. "No, not this...Ryou..."  
  
Bakura grinned. The Shadow Realm swirled according to his slightest whims, and soon, they were standing in a simple, dusty room with a small window. Out that window was a small village, and beyond that, desert.  
  
It was a memory. Only now, it wasn't Bakura's memory. This memory belonged to the Spirit of the Ring.  
  
//Ok, where to first? // Bakura said. He smiled at his yami's frustrated growl and continued. //How about answering my first question that you never answered. What's your name? //  
  
The room swirled, and now they were standing in a road in the village. There was a man standing there talking to a younger version of the Spirit of the Ring. Or whatever his name was.  
  
"I've never seen you around here before. What would your name be? And where are your parents?" The man asked.  
  
Bakura paused the scene there for a moment, shocked. The man was speaking Ancient Egyptian, but he could still understand him! //Since when did I learn how to speak Egyptian? // he wondered to himself.  
  
//Since I grew up knowing only that language. // The spirit grumbled. //Don't you know anything? This is MY memory, so of course you'll be able to understand what people say. I understand, so you understand. //  
  
Bakura nodded. //Oh. Ok, thanks. //  
  
//Your welco-. Shut up. //  
  
Bakura grinned. //Resume! //  
  
Everything started up again. The young Spirit answered the man.  
  
"We just moved here. My name is Radley! Radley Bakurna! My parents are over there." He said cheerfully, pointing to a large group of people gathered around one of the many shop stands.  
  
The man nodded. "Thank you, Radley!"  
  
"Your welcome!" Radley said, turning to go.  
  
"Say, do you have a nickname?" The man asked suddenly. "Radley Bakurna is a pretty hard thing to say sometimes."  
  
Radley turned back and grinned a cute boyish grin; surprising Bakura with how much he wound up looking like him, and replied, "Yup! Everyone just calls me Roo! See ya!"  
  
The man nodded. "Goodbye Roo."  
  
Bakura paused the scene, laughing hard. //Roo? // He asked between laughs. //Roo?!? //  
  
//Shut. Up. // Radley said grumpily.  
  
//Why? //  
  
//You are going to pay for this. Just as SOON as I figure out how to counter...// Radley growled.  
  
//Not before I have some more fun, Roo. Let's answer some more questions, shall we? What were you like when you were little? Let's just see! //  
  
//Don't you dare, Ryou! // Radley warned.  
  
//Or you'll do what? // Bakura asked, using the words the Sprit had just recently used. //You gunna hit me or something? //  
  
//I just might as soon as we get out of here. // Radley growled.  
  
Bakura shrugged. //Somehow, I think not. Things are going to be VERY different around here, ROO...//  
  
Radley glared at Bakura. //I. Don't. Think. So.//  
  
Bakura just laughed. //Let's go, Roo! // He said.  
  
The Shadow Realm shifted once again, and this time, it was Radley "Roo" who was forced to sink into a wave of sorrow, terror, and despair.  
  
**************************************************************************** *  
  
{Interlude: Seto Kaiba} (Of course)  
  
It was dark. Or at least Seto thought so. He was back in his padded cell, which had no outside windows, so he couldn't be sure.  
  
He paced the length of the room and back, waiting.  
  
During breakfast that morning, Mokuba had managed to get a map of the place. He showed Seto where his cell was, while Mr. Gice showed Mr. Thedoor where his cell was. This, of course, was very annoying.  
  
Although, Mr. Gice had proved to be of more use to him than Seto had initially thought. In one of his pockets, he had a sheet of paper that had calculations of when there were no guards in certain areas between shifts. The earliest they could get out was 6:00. So Seto was waiting.  
  
Mr. Gice had also helped in another way, though Seto thought that this help wasn't intentional. He and Mokuba had been writing up plans on a sheet of paper that Mr. Gice had magically pulled from his pocket.  
  
("Ta da!")  
  
Mr. Gice had then pulled out another sheet of paper and a blue crayon and began coloring on the back of it. Seto had just ignored him, figuring that he had gone into one of his crazy moments and deciding that the best thing to do was to try not to make him yell at anyone.  
  
This was all fine and good, until Mr. Gice reached out, grabbed Seto's plans, turned them over and scribbled in blue all over the back. Then he calmly handed it back to Seto and commented loudly, "Gee, Mr. Thedoor, you sure can color well!"  
  
Seto had then looked around and noticed that one of the guards was staring at him. When Mr. Gice made this comment, the guard shrugged and went back to his work. They would have been caught making plans if Mr. Gice hadn't done that. Seto had looked back at Mr. Gice to see if that was what he had intended to do, but he had gone back to drawing a bright blue duck on yet another sheet of paper.  
  
Seto paced the room some more, thinking. He glanced at his watch. 5:50. He still had some time. He pulled the plans out of a pocket in his coat, which they had let him keep. (He had no clue why, but it was awfully nice of them. He had hidden pockets in it and they were stuffed with equipment)  
  
He studied the plans. At 6:00, he was going to go and unlock Mr. Gice. (Although, he had a suspicion that Mr. Gice would end up letting himself out first.) Then they were going to go and get Mokuba, whose cell was on the opposite side of the building. By then, the next shift of guards would have started, so they were going to head for the nearby opening to the ventilation systems and hang out in there being as quiet as possible until the next guard shift at 7:00. Then, they would go out the front door and make a break for the fence.  
  
It seemed like a good plan. Seto just hoped it would work.  
  
So now Seto was waiting for 6:00. The area would be guard-free until 6:30, when the next shift got there. They would have to hurry.  
  
He put the plans away into a hidden pocket and looked at his watch again. 5:55. Close enough.  
  
He unlocked his door using a spare card that Mr. Gice had supplied him with, and started down the hallway towards Mr. Gice's room. He was contemplating how he was going to open the door without startling Mr. Gice, when he rounded the corner and realized that his original suspicions were correct. He wouldn't have to let Mr. Gice out. He was already standing outside his cell with his arms crossed, waiting for Seto.  
  
"Well, there you are! Took you long enough to get over here! I was thinking of simply going and getting Mokuba and getting out of here without you..." Mr. Gice informed him. Seto sighed.  
  
"Let's go." He said.  
  
They started down the hallway towards Mokuba's room. They walked quietly for a while, before Mr. Gice broke the silence.  
  
"You know, there's something you should know... It wasn't a coincidence that we met..."  
  
Seto gave him a strange look. "What's that supposed to mean?" He asked. "You aren't one of those weirdos who believe in Destiny, are you?"  
  
Mr. Gice smiled and shook his head. "No. We met because I wanted to!"  
  
"Great. Lovely. Any particular reason why?"  
  
"Who wouldn't?"  
  
"What?"  
  
"Want to meet you."  
  
"Huh?"  
  
Mr. Gice sighed. "Let me put that into ONE sentence... Then it will make sense."  
  
"What?"  
  
"Who wouldn't want to meet YOU?"  
  
"What do you mean?"  
  
Mr. Gice laughed slightly. "Because I would have to be pretty crazy to not want to meet you."  
  
"Well, you ARE pretty crazy." Seto pointed out.  
  
"That's a nice thing to say to an old scientist like me." Mr. Gice said, beaming. "Crazy... I wish. If I were half as crazy as I pretend to be, I wouldn't be here."  
  
"Even if you were only half as crazy, you'd still be... Pretend?"  
  
Mr. Gice nodded. Seto stopped walking and stared. Mr. Gice turned around.  
  
"I am Mr. Thomas S. Gice." He stated. "I am sometimes called Dr. S because of my middle name. But you can just call me Tom. Or you can-"  
  
"Don't start THAT again."  
  
Mr. Gice laughed. Then his face grew serious. "Now, then. I want you to get just ONE thing straight Mr. Seto Kaiba."  
  
Seto stared. It was the first time he had gotten his name right.  
  
"I am not crazy. I am not nuts. I am not a loony. And I do not belong here in this loony bin. And I know that neither do you. Because of this, we are getting out of here TONIGHT. That is, unless we continue to stand here chatting. So, if we could kindly keep moving?"  
  
Seto stared some more, then nodded slowly and continued walking. "A scientist?" He said, referring to something Mr. Gice had said.  
  
Mr. Gice nodded.  
  
"What kind of science?"  
  
"Observations mostly. Lately, just before those idiots stashed me in here, I was trying to find out as much as I could about something I called FWC's and the FWC Pic. Tech."  
  
Seto's confusion must have shown on his face, because he elaborated.  
  
"FWC's are Freaky World Cameras. The FWC Pic Tech is the Freaky World Company Picture Technology. That stuff is advanced. Really advanced. Even more so than your duel disk systems, Kaiba."  
  
"I could always update the duel disk systems, you know... Hmm... Pic Tech... I think I had to do a book report on that once..." Kaiba mumbled to himself.  
  
Mr. Gice grinned. "Book? They published it?"  
  
Kaiba nodded. "It was kind of one sided though. It presented your ideas, then it immediately followed them up with reasons why it couldn't be true... "  
  
Mr. Gice frowned. "Well, they obviously didn't believe the theory, but what do you think?"  
  
Seto was about to answer no, when he thought back on the events of the past week. "Maybe." He said slowly.  
  
Mr. Gice grinned again. "In other words, Yes!" He began skipping down the halls rather than walking. Seto sighed then jogged to keep up with him.  
  
"Mr. Gice?"  
  
"Thomas."  
  
"Thomas, then."  
  
"What?"  
  
"Why were you "pretending" to be nuts? And why didn't you tell me this earlier so you could stop calling me Mr. Thedoor?"  
  
"I was pretending to be crazy because, people don't expect the really crazy people to try and get out... so they have less security... Right? So now I have almost no security watching me, and it's easier for me to leave. That, and the fact that I thought our audience would like it... Also, frankly, it's fun. It makes the little kids laugh." Thomas told him. "Speaking of which, don't tell Mokuba about any of this... I don't want HIM to think of me as a normal boring person."  
  
They finally reached Mokuba's cell. Seto checked his watch. It said 6:25. They would have to hurry. But first, Seto wanted some of his questions answered.  
  
"I don't keep secrets from my little brother. And what do you mean, Audience?"  
  
Thomas fiddled with the door some more. "You've got yourself an FWC, Mr. Thedoor!" he said.  
  
Seto looked around quickly, searching for it. Thomas laughed.  
  
"I thought you did a book report, Seto! The FWC's are invisible."  
  
"Oh. Then how in the world do you know I've got one?"  
  
"FWC's aren't from this world, Kaiba." He answered without really answering the question.  
  
He pressed a few more switches on the door. "Why won't this thing open?!?!..... Oh... I See...." He stopped trying to press buttons and instead just pulled on the 'spiffy little door handle.' The door opened. "There!"  
  
Thomas looked at his watch as Mokuba ran out of the cell. "We've got to hurry. They'll be here any minute..." He muttered to himself. The three ran for the opening to the ventilation shaft.  
  
Seto tried a few times on the way to get Thomas to tell him more about the FWC's but he refused to say another word on the subject while Mokuba was there, and Mokuba finally told Seto to stop bugging Mr. Gice. They went mostly in silence.  
  
They got to the opening and found that it was barred shut. "No problem." Seto said. He pulled a small kit out of his pocket and set it on the floor. Pressing a button on it, he stepped back as a mini saw popped out and began slicing through the bars with a semi-loud whirring sound.  
  
When it was done, Seto packed it away again and Mokuba climbed into the shaft. Thomas was impressed.  
  
"They let you keep that?" He asked.  
  
"Sorta. They let me have my coat. It has a lot of pockets..."  
  
"Ah." He had just started climbing inside, when Seto heard footsteps from down the hall. He tensed. Soon, a security guard rounded the corner.  
  
"Hello." The guard said as he walked past Seto. "My shift's over, so you're free to take over." he commented, thinking Seto was another guard. Seto just nodded, his mouth dry.  
  
The guard went around another corner. Two seconds went by. "Wait a second... Hey, You!"  
  
The guard came running back into the hall.  
  
"Oh, no..." Thomas said, trying to pull Seto into the shaft.  
  
"I can take him." Seto growled.  
  
"Take him later! Hurry, or they'll be all over! It doesn't take the guards long to gather into large groups!" He pulled hard on Seto's coat, making him fall into the shaft. "Come on!"  
  
"Wait one second." Seto said, turning around and clamping two metal strips onto the opening. Then he dashed after his brother and the strange scientist.  
  
"What were those?" Thomas asked as he ran.  
  
"Electromagnetic Magnesium-Carbohydrate strips." Seto replied.  
  
Thomas shook his head. "And you just happened to have some of those in your pocket?" He asked.  
  
Seto nodded. "Very lucky for us. What they do is-"  
  
"I know, I know. I'm a scientist, remember? You can program them so that only one person can touch them. Everyone else gets a huge electroshockwave. Very painful."  
  
(A/N: I don't think there really is such a thing, but if there is, I need some for my room...)  
  
Seto nodded. "But there are counter-methods. We've got to go through these systems instead of through the halls. Mokuba, where's that map?" He called to Mokuba, who had run far ahead.  
  
"We won't need a map! Look!" Mokuba cried.  
  
Seto and Thomas caught up with him. The shaft had just happened to lead right outside.  
  
Thomas smiled. "What luck!" He exclaimed.  
  
Mokuba nodded, a huge grin on his face. "This is perfect! Let's go! We have to make a run for it!"  
  
At this, they all ran. The outside fence was Ten meters away... Nine... Eight... Seven... Six... Five... An alarm went off in the building!... Four... Three... Two... One... They were over the fence!  
  
Seto quickly lined it with a few more Electromagnetic Magnesium- Carbohydrate strips, then they were home free!  
  
That is, they were.... Until they ran right into what seemed like a wall of security guards going the other way.  
  
They all stopped and tried to go around them, but then the guards from inside the building caught up with them. They were surrounded.  
  
Thomas suddenly fell to his knees onto the sidewalk. "No!" He screamed. "No No No No No No!!!!!!!!!!!!!!"  
  
Seto stared at him. He didn't see what the big deal was. They could always try again later...  
  
Thomas sobbed loudly. "Don't make me go back there! No! NO!!!!!!!!! FRANCHILINANICANTA!!!!!! AAAAIIEE!!!!!!!!"  
  
Seto suddenly understood. He was putting on his act again. Or was he?  
  
"Come on, you three. I can already see we're going to have to raise security a whole lot more." One guard said, dragging Thomas and leading Seto and Mokuba back into the building.  
  
//Back to the drawing board...//  
  
**************************************  
  
{Tea} (First Tea POV!) (Very short...)  
  
"Alright, I'll be sure and do that! See you next meeting!" Tea called. The meeting was now officially over and she was free to go home. But, somehow, even though it was getting very dark, she had a feeling that she shouldn't go home just yet.  
  
//If I know Joey as well as I think I do, then he's probably somewhere around the park searching for Bakura. // She said. //So now, I need to find him so that I can tell him to go home. It's too late for doing any of that kind of thing now, and I don't think he has a flashlight...But first, I have to find him. //  
  
She pulled her own flashlight out of he backpack and switched it on, heading for the park. By the time she arrived there, it was really dark. She started off down the path that led through the trees looking from side to side hoping to spot Joey.  
  
//Wait. If he does have a flashlight, or any kind of light, then if I turn my light off, I should be able to see his.// She switched off her light, then stood on the path waiting for her eyes to adjust to the dark.  
  
When they did, she continued her search, now keeping an eye out for a light source.  
  
Suddenly, she saw one. It was by the big oak tree in the center of the park. It had to be Joey! She jogged over there and went around to the other side of the tree.  
  
Instead of Joey, she saw Bakura, sitting leaned up against the tree, fast asleep. There was a dark purple and black mist completely surrounding him, and the Ring around his neck was glowing brightly. The combination of the mist and the light of the Ring created an eerie glow that illuminated the area around him.  
  
"Bakura?" She asked softly. She reached out her hand to try and wake him up, but hesitated when her hand got too close to the mist.  
  
"Bakura?" She asked again. Then she realized something. "The ring... Tristan threw that thing away! That can only mean... Oh, no! This mist must mean the Shadow Realm!"  
  
"The person who will know the most about the spirit of that Ring and the Shadow Realm will be the spirit of Yugi's puzzle!" She concluded, switching her light on again and running for Yugi's game shop.  
  
//I have to hurry! //  
  
***************************************************************************  
  
{Yugi}  
  
"Yugi! Yugi!" Yugi was woken from another crazy Dark Magician chasing dream by Tea's voice from outside his window.  
  
He got out of bed, still fully dressed because he hadn't bothered to change the night before, and opened his window. Tea came in through it.  
  
"What is it, Tea?" He asked sleepily.  
  
"Bakura...Shadow Realm... Terrible..." Tea was really out of breath.  
  
"Wait a moment and catch your breath. Now, what about Bakura and the Shadow Realm?"  
  
"I was in the park looking for Joey, when-"  
  
"Why were you looking for Joey?"  
  
"Oh, right. Well, on my way to school, I ran into Bakura, who was going the other direction! You know, away from school! He was headed towards the park. So then, after school, I told Joey about it and then I had to go to my meeting."  
  
"And now you think he's still out there looking for Bakura?"  
  
"Well, I did, so I went looking for Joey and I found Bakura! He's in the park, asleep by the big oak tree. But he's wearing that Ring and it's glowing... Something's happening to him, Yugi!"  
  
Yugi quickly pulled his shoes on and went out the window, followed by Tea. They ran towards the park and to the oak tree.  
  
There was nothing there.  
  
"He...he must have woken up..." Tea said. "And left already."  
  
Yugi yawned. "I dunno, Tea..." He said. "Erm, I have to go home now, okay?"  
  
"Ok... But I was sure that he was right here..."  
  
Yugi and Tea both went to their respective homes. When Yugi climbed back into his room, however, he was not ready to sleep. He was wide awake.  
  
//What do you think, Yami? // He asked.  
  
//I don't really know. // Yami answered. //Perhaps you should call Joey and ask him what happened when he went looking for Bakura. //  
  
//Good idea. Think we should tell Daricio about this? //  
  
//That would probably be a good idea too. How about you call Joey, and I'll tell Daricio. //  
  
//Ok. //  
  
Yugi went quietly down the stairs, trying not to wake Grandpa, and picked up the phone, dialing Joey's number.  
  
It rang. And rang. And rang. Finally there was a sleepy "Lo?" on the other end.  
  
"Hi, Joey?" Yugi asked.  
  
"Yeah... Yuge?"  
  
"Yeah, it's me. Listen, I've got to ask you something."  
  
"What?" Joey sounded more alert now.  
  
"Did you go looking for Bakura after school today?"  
  
"Nooo... I was gonna... But I got distracted."  
  
Yugi let out a small sigh.  
  
"Joey, There's something you should know... Tea thought that you would go and search for Bakura, and she went searching for you. But instead, she found Bakura. When she ran to tell me, by the time we got back out there, he was gone."  
  
There was silence at the other end of the line. Then, "Uh Oh. That can't be good... Wonder what's up with Bakura?"  
  
"I don't know. That's why I called you."  
  
"Oh. Sorry, I'm really not going to be much help here, unless... Wait... Is Tea still there?"  
  
"No, she went home."  
  
"Ok, I'm gonna come over and we can both look for him."  
  
"No, I don't think that's a good idea..." Yugi said, worried about what the spirit of the ring would do if they found him. He needed a better excuse than that, though, so he said, "It's really dark."  
  
"Well, ok... But you cannot tell me not to look for him tomorrow when it's light out."  
  
"All right." Yugi agreed. "In the morning, come here, then we'll look."  
  
"Alright. See ya then."  
  
"Bye."  
  
The phones were hung up.  
  
Yugi snuck back up to his room and went into his soul room. Yami was just saying, "And Yugi's just gone to call Joey."  
  
"And Joey didn't go searching for Bakura today, so he didn't see anything." Yugi said.  
  
"Well, this is definitely strange." Daricio said from her side of the hallway where she was sitting.  
  
"Definitely. I guess we are going to go see Bakura tomorrow?" Yami said.  
  
"Yeah. Joey's coming with us. He insisted." Yugi replied.  
  
"Do you think this ties in somehow with him being there at the hospital?" Daricio asked.  
  
"I'm really not sure. What should we do?" Yugi wondered.  
  
"Personally, I think that we should get some sleep. It's late." Yami said, yawning.  
  
He went to his soul room.  
  
Yugi sighed, looking after him. "You know, Daricio, If there's something going on with Bakura, it's gotta be because of that evil side of him, the spirit of the Millennium Ring. That Spirit has got to be from Egypt. And if he's from Egypt, and Yami's from Egypt, then if Yami can finally remember his past, then this will all be a whole lot easier to figure out."  
  
"Yeah, I know. But how is he going to be able to remember?"  
  
"Maybe I can get Tea to take him to that new Egyptian exhibit at the museum."  
  
"There's an Egyptian exhibit at the museum?"  
  
"Yeah. Maybe it will help."  
  
"I bet it would. Talk to Tea tomorrow, Ok? But let's make it a surprise for Yami! Don't tell him."  
  
"All right. I will. I'll see you later then."  
  
"Bye."  
  
Daricio closed her door and Yugi was left to ponder what was happening.  
  
***********************************************************  
  
{Seto Kaiba: The next morning} (No, not an interlude this time.For once.)  
  
When Seto awoke the next morning, it was to the strange little man gesturing for him to get out of bed and come to Social Breakfast once again. Seto looked at his watch. It was early. Way too early.  
  
"What's with breakfast being at 4:30?" He asked, succeeding in sounding sleepy yet sharp.  
  
The man looked confused. "It's not 4:30." he said. He looked at his own watch. "It's...Ok, maybe it IS 4:30... Sorry. I'll come back at the normal 6:00, alright?"  
  
Seto groaned slightly and the man left.  
  
He tried to go back to sleep. He tried. Then he gave up and just sat on the edge of his bed and stared at the floor, thinking. Now that he had been woken up, he knew he wouldn't be able to get back to sleep. It just wasn't in his nature to get up and go to bed constantly. He got up at 6, and slept again at 9. That's just how it worked.  
  
It was a good thing he didn't go back to sleep, or he would have been woken up yet again by another person entering his room. He looked up to see who it was.  
  
He didn't recognize the woman who entered the room. She had long dark hair with two shining golden hoops holding it back partially. The rest of it was held up by an equally shining golden headband with a bright jewel on it that she wore on her forehead. She wore a long dress with so many intricate, twisting, confusing designs woven into it that it almost looked brown if you weren't looking at it hard enough. And then there was that strange looking, also golden necklace that she wore.  
  
"Who are you?" He asked, standing up and looking her in the eye.  
  
"You will learn my name later." She said, bowing to him slightly. "For now, all that you need to know is that you should come with me."  
  
He looked at her curiously, then followed her out of the room. Mokuba was already out there, looking just as confused as Seto felt. The woman continued down the hallway, almost gliding rather than walking, and Mokuba and Seto just followed her.  
  
She walked up to the front desk and announced, "We are ready to go."  
  
The head guard looked Seto and Mokuba over, then returned his gaze to the woman, narrowing his eyes. His voice had a definite threatening tone to it. "Alright, lady, I don't see how it is you think you can just barge in here and take people out of here..."  
  
The necklace around the woman's neck caught a glint of light, causing it to shine slightly, and the guard let out a small gulp.  
  
"But, seein' as you are so persuasive and all, I'll let you go right through. Goodbye, an have a nice day." He said, returning to his work with a nervous glance at the necklace.  
  
"Thank you." The woman said, allowing only the slightest smile to come across her face. She turned and glided out the front doors.  
  
Shaking himself out of his stunned silence, Seto took Mokuba by the hand and followed the woman, staring at the guard the whole way out.  
  
Outside, he jogged forward and caught up with her. "What did you do?" He asked.  
  
"As he said, I am a very persuasive person." She said simply.  
  
She went to the street corner and called a Taxi. "Take them to KaibaCorp." She said to the driver. He gave her a strange look, then nodded.  
  
She turned to Seto. "You shall see me later. I have forseen it." she said, bowing slightly once again and turning away towards a limo that was parked not too far away.  
  
"But.."  
  
"Later." She said.  
  
Seto and Mokuba got into the Taxi and it drove off in the direction of KaibaCorp.  
  
"She's strange." Mokuba commented.  
  
"Strange, yes. But definitly very nice... I wonder if..." His voice trailed off.  
  
They rode in silence, comtemplating the weirdness of the woman.  
  
When they got to KaibaCorp, Seto and Mokuba got out of the taxi. Seto turned back and was contemplating how he was going to pay the man when his money was not with him at the time, when the taxi simply drove away.  
  
Seto shook his head and turned to the building. Right that moment he had absoulutly no time for trying to explain the mysteries of human behavior. There was a LOT of work to be done. They went up in the elevator to Kaiba's office, surprising quite a few workers, then, after kicking Weevil out and making a few phone calls, Seto got right to work, pulling up a TV in the room for Mokuba to watch.  
  
Kaiba pulled up his graphs, tables, and other assorted work items, being especially careful NOT to turn on the AI. Well, he tried to anyway. The AI turned itself on.  
  
"Good morning, Seto Kaiba!" The AI called. "Did you miss me?"  
  
Seto sighed. "Listen." He said. "I have a lot to do right now, and frankly, I'm not in the mood to deal with you right now. Go away."  
  
The AI grumbled at him for a moment, causing a smile to form on Mokuba's face, who was looking at the television but wasn't really paying attention to it.  
  
"That isn't the way you're supposed to talk to someone like me! Where've you been? What's up? Talk to me!"  
  
"Not now." Seto said, raising his voice. He noticed at the edges of his vision that Mokuba mouthed the AI's answer along with it, then breaking into a small fit of giggles.  
  
"Aw... But why ever not, Kaiba?"  
  
After a whole lot of persuading and even some yelling,(And Mokuba laughing) it decided to go ahead and shut down with one final, "Fine, have it your way, Kaiba..."  
  
Seto turned to Mokuba who was now fighting to keep a guilty smirk off his face. "Have you been reprogramming my AI?" He asked.  
  
Mokuba shook his head firmly no, but the grin on his face said otherwise.  
  
"Uh huh. Don't do that anymore, Mokuba." Seto said, turning back to his work.  
  
"Ok, Seto." Mokuba said. There was silence in the room that was only broken by the sound of Kaiba's keyboard and the occasional outburst of canned laughter from the television.  
  
A commercial popped up on the TV saying something about an Egyptian Exhibit at the local museum, but Seto wasn't really paying attention to it. Information sped by on his screen and he only looked up from it when Mokuba addressed him.  
  
"Seto, with all that's been going on, we really have been needing a break. How about we visit that new exhibit. It would be very fun and educational." He said, quoting the man on the screen.  
  
"No, Mokuba. Because of all that's been going on, I don't have time to take a break right now. Maybe some other time."  
  
"But Seto!"  
  
"No. Maybe some other time." He said again.  
  
The picture on the screen changed, shifting it to the owner of the exhibit. Mokuba gasped, drawing Seto's attention to the screen.  
  
"Seto, isn't that?!?"  
  
It was! It was the woman that had saved him from the nut house!  
  
"I have personally invited Seto Kaiba to come to my exhibit..."  
  
***************************************************************  
  
Can everyone see where I'm going with this? This story takes place after that fire, (Obviously... Daricio was talking about it, so it couldn't be before then.) and before Battle City. (Because I haven't seen all the Battle City episodes, and I can't have them referring to things that I don't know what happens, right?) So... Now that they've started showing us the Battle City tournament... That's right... I'm starting Battle City! Daricio ("Misspelled!") style! Isn't that going to be fun? It's going to basically be Battle City, but with my own little plot twists and additions. I hope this works out!  
  
I hope you enjoyed this chapter! The next one might be soon and it might not.... So, I'll see you next chappie! ("Misspelled!") After I destroy this WordScribe thing... Hmm... ("Misspelled!") Maybe me and Kaiba ("Misspelled!") can work together... Take his AI ("Misspelled!") and my WordScribe down to the shooting pit. *Dreams* hehehehe....("Misspelled!")  
  
Also, in case anyone noticed, sorry it took so long to get this chapter posted. I had some problems... First off, there was writers block that was solved by putting Battle City into the story. Then, while I was writing the Joey ("Misspelled!") part, I was ALMOST done with it when.... Word performed an illegal operation and had to shut down, meaning I had no chance to save my work, meaning that I had to start over... grrr...("Misspelled!") So, anyways, ("Misspelled!") Now I know how Kaiba ("Misspelled!") felt when all of his information got dumped... X~X ("Misspelled!")  
  
So, anyway, I'll see you next time. I must go and speak to Kaiba ("Misspelled!") about that shooting thing. I wonder how good his aim is?... See ya.("Misspelled!")  
  
--Daricio ("Misspelled!") 


	25. Even More Stuff Happens!

Hey everyone!!!  
  
Ya know what? This chappie is going to be very strange. I am very sugar high right now, and I have changed my method of writing for this chapter. Just trying something new. Before, I had everything all carefully planned out how I wanted the plotline to go and everything, but this time I'm just sorta typing down the first thing that enters into my mind. (Note: I just recently finished watching the Weevil's web episodes, so that has effected the "first thing that pops into my mind" thing.) This method, so far, has resulted in a rather chaotic thingy. Chaotic, but definitely interesting. I'd like input on what writing method seems to work better for this story.  
  
I'm trying to improve my vocabulary, so if you see any big, weird words, I may or may not explain them, so feel free to either use FF.net's dictionary thingy, or ask me what it means. I've been looking in the dictionary for strange words. Did peoples know that the "Word" "Higgledy-Piggledy" is in the dictionary? My WordScribe thingy probably wouldn't like it, but it WAS in the dictionary.Honest! It means, "Haphazard, or randomly placed." Strange, ne?  
  
In the Weevil's Web thingys, Joey calls Weevil, "Underpants!" They stole my idea!!! Actually, I was thinking Weevil Underwear, but that works. Actually, Evil Underpants would be an interesting name too.. Now what mental piccies come up when you think of evil underpants? ("AAAHH!! IT'S THE ATTACK OF THE EVIL UNDERPANTS!!!!!") lol. Anywhos, on with the rest of the author notes. (Note: this is a freaky example of me writing the first thing that pops into my head. Kinda makes you wonder how the story turned out, ne?)  
  
Here is the NORMAL author notes. ( i.e. The part I wrote before I gotsted sugar-high. Or at least before I gotsted completely sugar-high. ^_^ )  
  
First off, I just recently realized a big thing that makes my story difficult to do... There are gaps between episodes!!! Life doesn't just come to a screeching halt for the characters after their half hour is up!!! So how in the world would there be a week long gap in, say, the Espa Roba thing, or other duels that were chopped in half? So, in my story, I'm going to make two changes. One is that the new episodes, (For Daricio, anyway, not in the real world... Darn...) are going to be daily instead of just being on weekends... Also, The episodes are going to be a little behind real life... Such as, the episode will show what happened a little while ago, instead of being right on track with what they're doing at that moment in time. Unfortunately, this means that it will be very hard for Daricio to help Yugi an Yami with duels by telling them the other player's strategy or hand or whatever... Oh, well, they're good duelists... They don't need help from Daricio... (Speaking of which, most of the POV's for this are going to be in Daricio's POV... K? Unless there is a good reason for not having it in her POV... A.K.A. Bakura POV's and the interludes...)  
  
Also, another thing that makes my story kinda strange. When I was writing this chapter, I lost all sense of time and my head became really befuddled, and now we all get to pretend that Sunday doesn't exist!!! This week is going to go as follows: Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday, Friday, Saturday, then Monday! It may be confusing at first, but don't get too confused. And don't worry, this is the only "week" that will be like that. The only reason I'm doing that is cuz I messed up.  
  
Ok, for yet another thing, I have realized that I have been using something in my story and I haven't been giving proper recognition to her. In her story "Shadow Turned Light" (Which is a GREAT story by the way.. You've GOT to read it.) she used the term "Temporary physical form." As you know if you've read this far, I've used that term in my story several times without recognizing *Drum roll* High Crystal Guardian!!! Thank you, HCG for letting me use your term! *Bow*  
  
I made Ishizu kinda evil in that last chappie!!! (And yes, I'm calling her by her dub name, and not by the Japanese name, Isis. Why? That's just how it is. I like the dub name better, and it's too hard for me to try to keep track of who's who when using the Japanese names...) And yes, she's kinda evil. I figure that such a cool, knowledgeable person like her, (As was commented, "She's the only smart girl on the whole fricking show!" ~Mojobubbles) She can't be totally un-evil...^_^ Actually, I am making several characters in this chapter be kinda evil. Including Bakura! *Evil grin*  
  
I bet you have noticed that my WordScribe hasn't been going off... This is because Me an Seto had a WHOLE lot of fun with some rifles... If you know what I mean... *Another evil grin* Surprisingly, he's a very good aim... Especially when it concerns his AI... Which kept yelling at us... ("Ha! You missed!!!! Ow!")...  
  
^_^  
  
A big thank you to everyone who reviewed! I wouldn't have even gotten this far without your guy's support... In fact, If it weren't for you, this story would never have gotten past, "Hey, I can transport these people over here! How fun!" Thank you, thank you, thank you, reviewers! (And for those of you who read this story, but don't review, shame on you!) Also, BIG thanks to pruningshears! A big YAY! to her for many of the ideas in this chappie, including revealing to me how I would be able to keep my interludes going even though Seto has stopped doing them and has become a real character again. YAY!!! (And yes, Caterfree10, I know, I know, I just stole your word... "YAY!!!")  
  
So, thanks again to everyone!!! Ideas, encouragement, and yes, even constructive criticism, is always welcome! (I never get quite enough criticism... I always get, "This is great! I wouldn't change a thing!" When people read my rough drafts of writing when we're supposed to be doing peer editing with school stuff, and so I feel bad because I'm one of the only ones with no corrections... (Poor other people) makes me feel kinda guilty cuz I'm all being over-critical with other people so they get lots of marks on their papers.... So, yeah...)  
  
Anywhos... ......... ..................... .................... uh....... Hmm.................. What else do I want to say before I start the fic?................Hmmmm............Uh.... I have no earthly clue if there is anything else I need to say...  
  
So let's just start the fic!("Misspelled!") ..... What, did we get a new one or something?!?!?!? *Sigh* *Looks at thing* only 8 more days until trial period is over...only 8 more days.... *Dreams*  
  
Ok, so now lets start the fic ("Misspelled!") whilst I try and ignore this thing... Then afterwards, it'll be time to take Seto ("Misspelled!") out shooting again... ("Gulp!") *Evil grin*  
  
*****************************************************************  
  
{Daricio}  
  
Daricio went back into her soul room and closed the door. Through the link that she now had with Yugi, she could sense that he was really confused about all this. Through her link with Yugi and through his link with Yami, she could faintly tell that Yami was asleep. Yugi also had a few weaker links with his friends and his Grandpa, so Daricio could also tell some of their emotions well enough to know that Tea and Joey were worried and Tristan and Grandpa were asleep. She couldn't sense anything from Bakura though... Strange... The link with him must not be as strong. Through the link she had with her brother and sister, she could tell that they were both asleep.  
  
Man, links were confusing... And she and Yugi had way too many of them...Trying to figure out which of the emotions she was feeling were her own... Strange how recently she had been able to figure out and analyze everyone else's feelings, but she couldn't tell how she was sometimes...  
  
Daricio sighed. Thoughts like not being able to know your own emotions were depressing. She needed to be able to do something fun. Or if not DO something, then maybe eat the candy bar she had stashed in her dresser drawer.  
  
She swung her legs out of bed and jumped down to the floor. She walked slowly over to her dresser, being careful not to step on the toys scattered here and there along with a couple of piles of books and a few random articles of clothing.  
  
She rummaged around in the top drawer of her dresser, her junk drawer. She knew she had a candy bar stashed in there somewhere...  
  
Come on.... It was here somewhere... She just knew it was...... There! A Hershey bar! Success!  
  
She grabbed it and headed back to her bed, opening it as she walked, and wincing as she stepped on a particularly sharp loud thing that started woofing Christmas carols at her.  
  
She sighed, massaging her forehead in a vain attempt to make her headache go away. She sensed her little sister waking up and sighed again.  
  
"Wha?" Shells mumbled, still half asleep.  
  
"Sorry. Stupid toy on the floor...You can go back to sleep now."  
  
"What're you doing out of bed in the first place, Daricio?" Shells wondered, rubbing at her eyes.  
  
"I... couldn't sleep."  
  
"You know, the last time you 'couldn't sleep,' you were hiding something from me." Shells said.  
  
"This is different." Daricio insisted.  
  
"Really." Shells didn't sound very convinced.  
  
"I'm not hiding anything! I just can't sleep, that's all." Daricio said.  
  
Shells sat up in bed, looking at the clock. She was just about to respond to her sister when she turned back to Daricio and noticed what she was holding and now eating.  
  
"Daricio, you shouldn't be eating chocolate at 10:00 at night. It's not good for you, and you're going to give us all sugar rushes."  
  
"What? When I eat a candy bar it doesn't give everyone I have a link with a sugar rush! It's not like we're linked physically! And besides, sugar helps me sleep at night."  
  
"Right."  
  
"It does! And besides, what do you know about these sort of things anyhow?"  
  
"I know enough! Does the thing you're not telling me have anything to do with that bar of chocolate?"  
  
"I'm NOT not telling you something.... And no, the chocolate has nothing to do with it.... Sorta..." Daricio said, taking another bite, despite what her sister was telling her about sugar rushes.  
  
"What does it have to do-"  
  
"It's 10:00?"  
  
"Yeah, even look!"  
  
"Oh, great... Mom told me I have to go to school on Monday AND do the paper route in the mornings because I'm not sick anymore. I have to go to bed now... It's a good thing I still have Saturday tomorrow to mess around before I go back to school Monday...And I can't wait until tomorrow's new episode."  
  
"Oh, forgot to tell you... The new episodes have been changed from being on Saturdays to weekdays after school. I have no clue why, but it's definitely good!"  
  
"What? That means I have to wait until Monday!" Daricio said. "Oh well. Now we get them every day! You know, Mom is always telling us, 'do those episodes really matter all that much? It's not like it's a matter of life or death if you miss one!' Now they sorta are... I mean, I need to know if I'm in any of them... That would be strange..."  
  
"As if what IS happening isn't strange enough?"  
  
"True. But if I were in the new episodes, it would kinda let our secret out... And I would get mobbed by a bunch of Yu-Gi-Oh lovers at school..."  
  
"Yeah... Try and stay away from the FWC's..."  
  
"That's right. Except, according to that book that Yugi's got, they're invisible, so that will be difficult."  
  
Shells shrugged. "If you're in them, you're in them. You'll find out after school Monday, right?"  
  
"Right."  
  
"Goodnight, Daricio."  
  
"Goodnight, Shells."  
  
"Put the candy away."  
  
"Why?"  
  
"You're going to make yourself sick..."  
  
Daricio looked from her sister to her candy bar, then shrugged and stuffed the rest of it in her mouth, causing her sister to laugh.  
  
"Night."  
  
"Might..." Daricio said around her chocolate bar.  
  
She got into bed and pulled the covers over her head, staring at the designs in them while still savoring the chocolate.  
  
Several minutes passed, during which Daricio discovered that her sister was right about the sugar rush. Usually, chocolate really did make her fall asleep quickly, but now she just plain old couldn't sleep. She was tired, yes, but she couldn't sleep.  
  
"Daricio..." Someone whispered softly. Daricio was so groggy now that she couldn't tell who it was.  
  
"Hrm?" She mumbled in answer to the call.  
  
There was no reply. It took her a few moments before she realized that the call had been a mental one.  
  
She went into her soul room and looked around. //What? Did someone just call me?//  
  
There was no answer. She shrugged. She was just about to turn in the other direction when she heard the voice again.  
  
//Daricio.// It called extremely softly. Daricio frowned, realizing that the reason she hadn't known who had called was that she didn't recognize the voice.  
  
She turned around her soul room again, trying to determine where the voice was coming from. It wasn't from the door leading to her brother and sister's connection. It wasn't from Yugi's door, either. But... That meant that the only place it could be coming from was right there in her own room.  
  
//H-hello?// She asked. //Who's here?//  
  
//Daricio...// the unknown person whispered, just barely louder than the last two times.  
  
Daricio sat down slowly on a sofa, still looking around nervously. She was about to try and ignore the voice and just go to sleep, when she realized something. Imagination could make people invisible in soul rooms. That was obvious because she had done it before to sneak into Yugi's soul room. Could someone else be sneaking into hers the same way?  
  
She flooded the soul room with light. Suddenly, she felt a sharp twinge of fear go up her spine. But it wasn't her fear. It had to be someone she was linked to. She was just about to fill the room with imagination powers that would make anyone who was imaginationally invisible become visible, when she sensed the presence leave her soul room.  
  
She sighed in frustration; not having been able to tell which exit it had gone through.  
  
//Who could that have been? Who was in my soul room?// She thought, breathing hard from the sudden adrenaline rush she had from the other person's fear. //What's happening?//  
  
//Daricio?// A voice she recognized mentally called out to her. She jumped slightly, and then looked around her soul room. The door to DVD's link had opened a little and DVD was peeking in.  
  
// Shouldn't you be in your own mind?// Daricio asked.  
  
//Well, I figure, it's night so I'm supposed to be asleep anyway. What's up, Daricio?//  
  
//What do you mean, what's up?// she asked, thinking that it was probably him that had done that.  
  
//I mean, that I suddenly can't sleep... Were you eating chocolate?//  
  
//Yeah... But that's beside the point!//  
  
//Daricio, when you do that, it gives us all sugar rushes... You do know that, right?//  
  
//No it doesn't!//  
  
//Yes it does!//  
  
//Yes it does!// Shells put in from her own soul room door.  
  
Daricio sighed. //I guess that means no more late night chocolate feasts for me...// She said sadly. DVD nodded, smiling.  
  
They began to chat about nothing really in particular, and soon Daricio had all but forgotten her little encounter with the unknown person.  
  
**************************************************************************** *****************  
  
{Bakura}  
  
"Stop it! Stop it!!! STOP IT!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!" Radley's pleads rang out sharply in the room that was otherwise silent.  
  
Bakura frowned, experiencing a slight moment of Déjà vu. Those were the same words he himself had been saying not too long before for the same reason. He decided that he didn't want to be like Radley in any way at all. So he did exactly opposite of what the spirit had done to him. He stopped the memory that was playing, the one in which Radley's mother and father both died, and brought them out of the Shadow Realm.  
  
Now that his mind was back with his body in the park, he stood up shakily, leaning on the big oak tree for support. Looking around him, he noticed just how dark it was and realized, too late, that he had forgotten to stop the time while they were in the Shadow Realm. That meant that he had to get home as soon as possible.  
  
He took a deep breath, now very tired from the effects of the Shadow Realm and the powers of the Ring, and started hurrying off as fast as he could. Suddenly, it felt as if he wasn't as tired anymore. He began running, wondering where the sudden energy boost had come from.  
  
After going for a while, he realized what it had to be. Radley was helping him. Merging with him just enough to give him a little extra strength.  
  
"Thanks." He whispered, almost silently to the Spirit.  
  
//Well, what was I supposed to do?// Radley answered wearily. //Let you just sit there all night till you got enough energy to get up?// He laughed dryly. //Say. Let's not bug each other any more, Ok?//  
  
//Sounds good to me. You leave me alone; I'll leave you alone. No more teasing. No more Shadow Realm. No more-//  
  
//No more Shadow Realm?//  
  
//Yes.// Bakura said forcefully.  
  
They went on in silence.  
  
When Bakura got to his house, instead of going in through the front door and possibly facing his father, he around the side and climbed into his room through the window. Once inside, after listening carefully and deciding that everyone was asleep and that nobody had noticed that he was gone, he lay down on his bed, exhausted now that Radley wasn't helping anymore.  
  
//Now do you see what it's like to relive your life over again? Knowing what's going to happen and being powerless-again-to stop it.//Bakura asked. The spirit took a few seconds to answer.  
  
//Yes.// He said finally, tonelessly. He sighed. //That doesn't make me think of you as any less annoying, though.//  
  
Bakura frowned. //If you don't like me so much, why don't you just leave?//  
  
Radley laughed hollowly. //Believe me, If I could, I would. Unfortunately, it's not that simple.//  
  
//What do you mean?//  
  
Radley sighed again, this time in slight exasperation. //I'm bound to you, Ryou. In more ways than one. For one thing, I live inside the Ring. I'm bound to it. You are the destined one of the Ring. This makes me bound to you. Also, I had to create a very powerful, strong mental link in order for you to cross worlds. That also binds me to you.// He explained.  
  
Ok. I already know that mental links are mainly irreversible, so I guess We'll always be sorta linked together. But if you were somehow unbound from the Ring, would you be able to have your own body and be away from me?//  
  
//Well, yeah, of course. But I don't think I CAN be unbound from the Ring.//  
  
//If you had more Millennium Items, would you?// Bakura asked, deep in thought.  
  
//If I had more Millennium items, there are a lot of things I would be able to do. Why do you think I'm trying to get them?//  
  
//How many do you think you would need to unbind yourself?// Bakura wondered. //Or to have me unbind you?//  
  
//Why do you care?//  
  
//How many?// Bakura asked again.  
  
//I don't know! I would think at least four.//  
  
//Let's make a deal.//  
  
Radley narrowed his eyes. //What kind of a deal?//  
  
//I'll help you get two more Millennium Items, as long as you promise to get out and leave me alone. And one more thing. We are not going to hurt anyone to do it. Especially not Yugi. Is it a deal?// Bakura asked, holding out his hand.  
  
//Deal.// They shook on it.  
  
**************************************************************************** *****************  
  
{The next morning: Yugi}  
  
Yugi was woken from the second Dark Magician chasing dream he had had that night by Yami telling him to get up because the alarm clock was driving him nuts.  
  
//Sorry Yami.// Yugi said, shutting off the clock and rubbing his eyes.  
  
//Well, the evil thing is off now.// Yami said, nodding. //So it's ok.//  
  
Yugi laughed slightly. //It's not evil, Yami. It's supposed to do that.//  
  
//What? Make as much if not more noise than a herd of wild animals? But why?//  
  
"I wanted to get up early today, so I set it to go off early so that I would wake up." Yugi explained, getting out of bed.  
  
"Oh." Yami said after a brief pause. "Why didn't you get up when it went off, then?"  
  
Yugi sighed. "I slept through it... That happens sometimes."  
  
"I don't know how anyone can sleep through THAT..." Yami muttered. "Evil little things."  
  
"Well, you slept through one this morning." Daricio informed him, having opened both her own and Yugi's soul room doors so that she could talk with them and still be in her own body. "Mine went off at 5:00"  
  
"Yeah, but both yours and Yugi's soul room doors were closed then. I can't hear stuff through two doors, about two rooms, and through me being asleep." Yami retorted.  
  
"So? You still slept through one." Daricio said, grinning.  
  
Yugi checked his clock. Before, he had turned off the alarm but had neglected to check what time it was. It was almost 8:30.  
  
"What time did Joey say he was going to come over again?" Yugi asked himself.  
  
"I don't think he specified a time." Yami told him. "But he'll be here. Unless he also possesses the rare ability to sleep through that horrible noise."  
  
Daricio laughed. "Most people do sleep through the alarm, Yami." She told him. It was obvious from the look on his face that he didn't believe her.  
  
"Right." He said skeptically.  
  
"Daricio, why do you get up so early?" Yugi asked, coming up with a topic changer from out of the blue.  
  
"Um. Oh, I have a paper route. I have to get all my papers delivered by 6:30." Daricio explained.  
  
"Paper route?" Yami asked.  
  
Daricio and Yugi looked at each other.  
  
"You explain." Yugi said. "I'm going to get something to eat."  
  
He headed down the stairs, listening to Daricio try and explain to Yami, who was not really getting it.  
  
"You know how every morning, there's a newspaper outside the door, and so all you have to do is pick it up and you can read it, right?"  
  
"Well, sort of. Yugi usually reads it to me... I'm not always that interested..."  
  
"Ever wonder where that paper came from?"  
  
Yami looked at Daricio with amazement. "You make those?"  
  
Daricio shook her head. "Nooo... The newspaper company makes them and sends them to my door, and I put them into plastic bags, put them on my bike, and deliver them to people's doors."  
  
"Why don't the people just go down to the newspaper place and get their own paper?"  
  
"Some people do. It's just that it's a whole lot easier to just be able to open the door and grab your paper rather than go to the newspaper place every day, right?"  
  
"Easier for them maybe, but what about you? I certainly wouldn't want to get up to the racket of an alarm clock every morning and give stuff away to random people."  
  
Daricio shook her head slowly. "It's Ok for me, because I get paid for it. And I don't just give them to random people. Different people call the newspaper company and tell them that they want their paper delivered to their door, then they pay the people for the newspapers. Then, every morning, I get a certain amount of papers, and I have to deliver to the people who called the company."  
  
"Oh, ok. I get it now." Yami said, not getting it at all but not really wanting to listen to more explanations.  
  
Yugi smiled, shaking his head slightly. Their conversation went on, but Yugi stopped paying attention to it, because just then, the door to the game shop burst open, and Joey came in, looking around and finally spotting Yugi at the table in the kitchen.  
  
"Yuge, you ready to go?" He asked, looking at his watch. "We don't really have all day..."  
  
Yugi gave him a look of confusion. "Why not? It's not like we have anything else to do today. Besides, do you think Bakura's even up yet?"  
  
Joey sat at the table across from Yugi, realizing that he hadn't even started his breakfast yet, and sighed. "Yeah, actually, I do have something to do today. I don't know if I'm supposed to tell anyone or not..."  
  
"Why not?" Yugi asked.  
  
"Weevil didn't say if I was allowed to disclose the info or not." Joey said.  
  
"Weevil? Joey, what's going on?"  
  
"K, fine, I'll tell ya. I got a letter yesterday, Yuge. It was from KaibaCorp. Apparently, our dear friend Mr. Kaiba got himself sent to the nuthouse."  
  
Yugi frowned. "Yeah, I knew about that... What does that have to do with?"  
  
"I'm getting to it... Anyways, Weevil's been put in charge in his place, and he asked me if I would come and take over for im. So basically, I'd have Kaiba's job..." Joey said, smirking. "I still dun like Weevil, obviously, but this is an offer I can't refuse... says so in the letter. Be here at 10 tomorrow if you accept. Be here at 10 tomorrow even if you don't accept, cuz you still get the job."  
  
Yugi laughed. "That sounds like Weevil alright." He commented.  
  
Joey smiled too. "But I have to go to that meeting at 10." he said. He looked at his watch again. "In... Two and a half hours and three minutes... ten seconds..."  
  
"You're really looking forward to this, aren't you?"  
  
Joey broke into a full out grin. "Hey, I look forward to anything that has to do with embarrassing Kaiba."  
  
Yugi nodded, still laughing.  
  
Joey's expression turned slightly impatient. "Yugi, are you done yet?" He asked, looking at Yugi's half eaten bowl of cereal.  
  
Yugi looked down and realized that Joey was waiting for him to finish. "Uh... I guess I am now..." he said, shrugging and placing his bowl in the sink.  
  
They went out the door after leaving a note for Grandpa telling him where they'd be.  
  
They got to the street corner, when Joey suddenly stopped. "Uh... Does anyone know where Bakura lives?" He asked.  
  
Yugi realized also that Bakura never had shown them where he lived. They had seen each other at school all the time, but Bakura had never really been friends with them until Yugi and Yami had banished the Spirit of the Ring at Duelist Kingdom, and since then so much had been going on, that showing everyone where his house was wasn't really all that important.  
  
Yugi sighed. "Maybe it's in the phone book. There are addresses there as well as phone numbers." He suggested. Joey agreed, and they went and found a payphone. Joey went inside and opened the book, flipping through it to the letter...  
  
"Yugi..." He asked slowly. "What's Bakura's last name?"  
  
Yugi paused for a moment. "I'm not really sure." He admitted. "But I think that Bakura IS his last name... try looking that up."  
  
Joey nodded and flipped to the B's. He stopped at a promising looking page and slid his finger down the list of names, reading a few of them off softly as he went.  
  
"Baabn... Babnal... Badiuav...Bajerak....Baka...Bakbu...Man, these people have really strange names... Ah, here it is! It is in here! Bakura. John Bakura... think that's Bakura's dad?"  
  
Yugi nodded. "Sounds good. Let's try that address..."  
  
"Wait... There's a John Bakura... and a Ketran Bakura... and a Terrance Bakura... and a Waterson Bakura... and-"  
  
(A/N Anyone see the little puns I put into the names? lol. )  
  
"Oh, man... If we try going to every house on that list, it'll be really dark by the time we find Bakura..." Yugi said gloomily.  
  
"Yeah..." Joey agreed, looking hard at the list. "Too bad there's not one that says, "Ryou Bakura" here."  
  
"Why?"  
  
"Cuz whenever we get a substitute, they always call roll an they say, "Ryou Bakura.""  
  
"Oh. So all this time, Bakura has been telling us his name was Bakura when it was really Ryou? I wonder why..."  
  
Joey shrugged. "Now's not the time to think bout that... We've got to find him... My meeting starts in only an hour an a half! And five minutes!"  
  
Yugi looked confused for a second. "We've been doing this for an hour already?"  
  
Joey nodded. "Yeah... So?"  
  
"It seemed shorter..." Yugi remarked.  
  
"Strange. I've generally found that short people think of other things as big, not the other way around." An annoying voice put in. "And you obviously fit the criteria of 'short' "  
  
Joey turned to their eavesdropper, narrowing his eyes slightly at the boy with his blue bowl cut hair and thick glasses. "What do you want, Weevil?" He asked. "And shouldn't you be at KaibaCorp?"  
  
Weevil's obnoxious grin turned to a frown. "Kaiba got back early this morning and kicked me out." He said sadly.  
  
"What?!?!" Joey exclaimed. "You can't be serious!"  
  
"I am totally serious, Wheeler."  
  
"No! That stupid.. He.Back.. Grrrg! What a time to get back!" Joey said, muttering under his breath.  
  
"I know what you mean." Weevil said, nodding.  
  
"I wasn't asking you!" Joey growled, now in a very bad mood.  
  
There were several moments of silence during which Weevil glared at Joey because of his rudeness. Finally, Weevil decided to change the subject.  
  
"Sooo. Can you kindly tell me what it is about that phone booth that is suddenly so interesting?" Weevil asked, pushing his thick glasses higher onto his face.  
  
Yugi was about to answer him, but Joey was still mad.  
  
"Nothing that concerns you, Weevil. Bug off." Joey said, deliberately putting in the "bug" part.  
  
Weevil let out an indignant snort and turned on his heel. "Fine, I will then." He began to walk away, muttering under his breath.  
  
Joey probably should have left it at that, but he wasn't finished with Weevil yet. "Hey Yuge!" He said, turning to Yugi and speaking up so that Weevil could hear. "Suddenly, I'm not feeling my best. I think there's a bug going around!"  
  
He pointed at Weevil. "I hope it doesn't come by and BUG us!"  
  
Weevil froze, his head down and his fists clenching and unclenching slowly.  
  
"Joey." Yugi warned, realizing that Weevil was getting mad.  
  
"What?" Joey asked jokingly. "He's bugging me!"  
  
Weevil looked over his shoulder and glared at him, his fists still clenched, but Joey didn't seem to notice.  
  
"In FACT. I bet that-" His sentence was interrupted slightly as he was knocked to the ground by a small greenish-blue blur. Joey looked up from a daze, staring after Weevil's retreating form storm off in the distance. "Wow." He commented, rubbing his jaw where he had just gotten smacked. "Powerful little Bugger."  
  
"Joey, are you alright?" Yugi asked, trying to hide a smile.  
  
Joey hurriedly got up off the ground and dusted himself off. "Course I am!" He said, trying to save whatever dignity he had left. "That little bug couldn't hurt a fly!"  
  
"Joey?"  
  
"What?"  
  
"Enough with the bug jokes."  
  
Joey nodded, grinning. "Fine."  
  
"We still have to figure out where Bakura lives." Yugi reminded him. "Maybe we should ask-"  
  
"Yugi!" Tea called, coming up the street.  
  
"We could ask her." Yugi finished. Tea ran up beside them, then bent over, leaning her hands against her knees, breathing hard.  
  
"Any luck yet guys?" She asked after a minute, looking up.  
  
"Uh. actually.. We haven't talked to him yet." Yugi said.  
  
"What? Why not?"  
  
"Weeeell." Yugi said, looking at Joey.  
  
Joey took the hint and finished the sentence. "We dun't know where he lives." He admitted.  
  
Tea frowned, then sat down on a bench by the side of the road; one of many that were scattered all over the city. "You don't know where he lives." She repeated.  
  
"Yeah, that's what I said." Joey said. "Do you know?"  
  
Tea shook her head. "I was going to ask you!"  
  
There was silence as this revelation sunk in.  
  
//Ok, that's not good. How are we going to find Bakura?// Yugi thought to himself.  
  
//I dunno.// Daricio mused from the doorway, having finished her conversation with Yami long ago. The two were standing by the doorway. //Well, I sorta have an idea.// She paused for a moment, physically looking around her and making sure nobody was awake yet. Having confirmed this, she stepped over and took a temporary physical form next to Yugi, startling Tea and Joey.  
  
"Can you not do that?" Joey asked her.  
  
She shrugged. "I have an idea of how we can find Bakura." She said.  
  
"What is it?" Yugi asked.  
  
"If we simply search all over town, he's bound to show up somewhere. I mean, he can't just stay in his house all day, right? He's got to be doing SOMETHING." She told them.  
  
Joey and Tea nodded. "Ok, then. Let's go."  
  
Joey turned to Daricio. "So, you gunna just hang out wit Yugi?" He asked.  
  
She nodded. "Sorta. I have to get back before people at home wake up though, so I won't be able to help for very long. Sorry." She apologized.  
  
"Ok. Me and Daricio will search over that way, Joey can go that way, and Tea goes that way." Yugi said, pointing in the different directions for each person. "We'll meet up at the school at 5:00, Ok?"  
  
Everyone nodded and they set out towards their assigned searching areas.  
  
They searched and searched for HOURS!!! But even so, there was no trace of Bakura anywhere. Seemed like Daricio's theory wouldn't work after all.  
  
Around eleven o clock, Daricio had to stop the search because everyone was starting to wake up.  
  
(A/N Yes, everyone likes to sleep in. so what?)  
  
The searching seemed to go on forever and was producing absolutely no results. As a lovely added bonus, it had started to rain heavily on them. Even after searching all of Domino city at least four times and having spent about five hours looking, Bakura was nowhere to be found.  
  
Yugi decided he had had enough of searching in the rain and ran over to the school to meet up with everyone else and compare results. He had a bad feeling, however, that their results would be the same as his.  
  
He pushed through the doors and looked around. Tea and Joey were sitting in some chairs, totally drenched. The looks on their faces showed that his suspicions were correct.  
  
"Hey guys." He said.  
  
"Hey, Yuge"  
  
"Hi Yugi" Tea and Joey spoke at the same exact time, creating an interesting harmonic sound and making Yugi laugh slightly.  
  
"Any luck anyone?" Tea asked. Everyone shook their heads, frowning.  
  
"I guess Bakura DOES spend all day in his house." Tea commented. "Otherwise we would have seen him."  
  
Suddenly, they all realized that they weren't the only ones in the school. They could hear a lot of noise coming from the gymnasium! They got up and went around the corner. The school dance was in progress. Well, actually, it was at the end. The last song had just finished.  
  
"Aw! I had forgotten about this!" Tea complained, watching the people as they filed slowly out of the building, hiding from the rain under umbrellas.  
  
"Hey!" Tristan called as he came out of the makeshift dance hall. "Ya missed the dance!"  
  
"We noticed." Tea said dryly.  
  
"Joey, you should have been here! They started playing the Funky Chicken Dance, and I just knew you would be PERFECT for it!"  
  
"Watch it, Tristan." Joey said, mock glaring at his friend. Tristan laughed, stepping quickly out of Joey's reach.  
  
"Come back here, coward!" Joey yelled, chasing after him.  
  
"Hey! You two! Get over here!" A man called, pointing to Joey and Tristan.  
  
"What?" Joey asked, walking over.  
  
The man held out a sheet of paper on a clipboard. "You both are signed up for the post-dance cleanup crew! Let's break out the mops, people!"  
  
Joey and Tristan looked at each other, surprised, then shrugged and went over to help. "Now who signed us up for that?" Joey asked.  
  
Tristan shrugged, picking up a mop. "Obviously, somebody doesn't like us." He stated. The two heard loud giggling, turned, and just barely caught the sight of two pink school outfits dart around the corner towards the school exit. "And I think it might be them." He added.  
  
Yugi turned and started watching the rain come down, wondering how wet he would have to get before he got home, considering he hadn't brought an umbrella. Tea soon joined him.  
  
"Whacha thinking about?" She asked him.  
  
Daricio chose this moment to quickly run over, whisper "Ask her now!" to him, and grab Yami's hand declaring, "Come here, Yami. I wanna show you something." Then she dragged him into her soul room.  
  
Yugi took a deep breath and began to think of how to ask Tea what he wanted to ask. Finally, he began. "With all of the things that have been going on, it would be a whole lot easier to figure everything out if the Spirit of the Puzzle could remember his past. I've been thinking that maybe if he saw some of the Egyptian stuff at the new exhibit in town, that he would be able to remember something. But I don't want to just bring him to this exhibit; he needs to want to go there. So, maybe if you were to take him around the town tomorrow, then take him to the exhibit if he wants to?"  
  
Tea nodded. "Sure, I could do that, I guess."  
  
"Thanks. It would mean a lot to us. I gotta get home now, or Grandpa will worry. I've been out all day."  
  
"Ok. Yugi, what about school tomorrow?"  
  
"I don't think we have school tomorrow, Tea. Holiday."  
  
"What holiday?"  
  
"Ummm.. Day off from school day? I don't know. But it means we get the day off from school, so that's good."  
  
"Oh. Ok, I'll see you tomorrow, then."  
  
Yugi nodded, then with another deep breath, took off into the rain.  
  
"Yugi! Where?"  
  
"Meet me at Domino Station!"  
  
**************************************************************************** *************************  
  
{Interlude!: (New interlude person now!) Mr. Gice}  
  
Thomas paced his super extra overly padded room several times, bouncing slightly as he walked because of how much they had padded his room.  
  
He sighed in immense frustration. He shouldn't have to be here. He was absolutely sane, as much as he didn't show that to people all the time. He went over to the corner of the room and picked up the straightjacket that he had struggled out of and pulled a few brightly colored strips out of the pocket. In the confusion of the other night, he had grabbed a few unprogrammed Electromagnetic Magnesium-Carbohydrate strips from Seto's pocket.  
  
Now that he had gotten news that Seto and his little brother had been released, he was glad that he had them. They would help him get out. And now that he was alone, it would be easier to not catch the attention of the guards. Tonight.  
  
He was getting out tonight. He was desperate. He had been in these padded cells for two months and there was no way he was going to stay there any longer.  
  
Of course, that's what he had said the night Seto, Mokuba and him had attempted to escape and here he was again. He sighed in silent memory of being dragged back to this horrid place. Then he turned his attention to programming the strips.  
  
It was going to take a while. Seto had put a huge amount of extra security codes on and he didn't know what putting in the wrong code would result in.  
  
He worked diligently, poking and prodding at the tiny buttons on the side of the strip that blended into the strip, preventing anyone who didn't know what they were doing from reprogramming it. Fortunately, Mr. Gice was not "Someone who didn't know what he was doing."  
  
After a couple of hours had passed, he finally broke through the security of the microscopic computer, and he shoved it in his pocket and began working on the next one. There were ten total strips, but now that he had the basic code for breaking though, he could do the rest easily.  
  
He had the rest reprogrammed within half an hour.  
  
Thomas grinned to himself, packing his pockets with the now active strips. Everyone said he was crazy, but now he was going to prove them all wrong. He had some evidence back at his lab that would totally be able to back up all of his theories, providing that the idiots that he was forced to call "co-workers" didn't disprove them.  
  
He pulled out his other great breakout tool; one of his business cards. He slid it across the doorway openings and stood back as the door creaked open. He was surprised that Seto hadn't read the writing on the business card that he had given him so that he could get out. If he had, then Thomas wouldn't have needed to tell him about his work; he would have known. He shook his head. He didn't like socializing much because of the way most people treated him, so he wasn't one to ask when the question concerned the mysteries of human behavior.  
  
He stepped into the hallway and hurried down it, not even bothering to look around; he knew that nobody was there. He rounded several corners, counting them off as he went. "Two rights, one left, five rights, left, right, left, right, freedom." He whispered, mentally picturing the front doors of the institute. After a few seconds of dreaming, he realized that it was making his slow down slightly, so he shook his head and hurried on.  
  
He was two rights and three lefts away from the freedom part, when the alarm went off. Thomas cursed under his breath, and quickly pressed himself to one of the hallway walls. He knew that he hadn't done anything to set off any alarms, and nobody was around to see him, so all he could do now was to lay low until the alarm stopped and it was safe to proceed. Actually, it would be best to find a hiding spot for the meantime so that people coming down the hall wouldn't see him.  
  
He steered himself over to the nearest doorway, trying to remember who was in it. He hoped that it was empty. That would be easiest. And if it weren't, he would have to see if he could convince the person inside that he was either a doctor, or another nut like he had done with Seto.  
  
He pulled the handle quietly, also hoping that if there was someone inside that they would be asleep. He snuck inside. His hope was not fulfilled. The room was occupied, and the inhabitant was not currently in sleep mode.  
  
"Why, hello! Who are you?" The young girl asked cheerfully despite the frown on her face.  
  
Mr. Gice bowed, deciding to pull his 'doctor' act. "I am Dr. Savoib. But you can call me Dr. S." He said, pointing to his blank nametag.  
  
The girl's frown faded and a huge grin came across her face. "What are you doing in here?" She asked angrily. "This is MY room, you know!"  
  
//Strange. Her facial expression appears to be exactly opposite of what she is really feeling.// Mr. Gice noted.  
  
"I am here because I am here. You will let me stay here, of course." He said, trying to keep all expression out of his face and tone.  
  
The girl frowned again. It was a good sign. "Yeah, ok. Whatever." She said. "Whatcha wanna be here for?"  
  
"If you really want to know, I'm hiding." He said, feeling unable to lie to a little girl. "What's your name?"  
  
"I'm Abby. You can call me Ab." She said, copying his tone.  
  
"That's nice. My name is Hadjav. Mr Hadjav." He said, bowing to her again. "But you can call me"  
  
"Dr. S." She finished the sentence for him, frowning hard. He nodded, then looked at his watch. After a while, he looked out the little window, checking to see if the alarm had stopped going off.  
  
"Do you know the "Doo" song?" Abby asked suddenly. "I keep trying to sing it to people, but nobody else knows it."  
  
Mr. Gice smiled and nodded. "I think I know what song you're talking about."  
  
Ab started the song in the traditional 'Gir' way. "I'm going to sing the Doo song now! Doo doo doo doo doo doo doo doo doo doo doo doo doo doo!!!"  
  
(A/N doo doo doo doo doo doo doo!!! Lol. Anyone seen Invader Zim? And his little Robot "Gir" ? Lol. )  
  
Thomas smiled faintly, adding in a "doo" here and there, but mostly just looking out the window and waiting for the red light to stop blinking. When it did, he wished Abby a very quick farewell and used his special lock picking breakout tool to open the door and went back out into the hall.  
  
He wondered what the alarm had been for. Someone else must have chosen that very same night to break out. But now he was running out of time. He could no longer go out the front door because of the security raising. He would go out the ventilation shafts that they had used last time. He hurried down the hall.  
  
When he got to the opening that they had used last time, he discovered that the Electromagnetic Magnesium-Carbohydrate strips that Seto had applied last time were still there, plastered to the opening. He knew that they were activated, because otherwise Seto wouldn't have put them on in the first place. He would have to get them off in order to get into the shaft, though. And the best way to deactivate an Electromagnetic Magnesium- Carbohydrate strip was to put another Electromagnetic Magnesium- Carbohydrate strip on top of it that was programmed for somebody else. So all Thomas needed to do was to place one of his strips on top of Seto's strips.  
  
He grinned pleased at himself for having figured out a solution quickly. He pulled one out of his pocket and tossed it onto the already set strips.  
  
Well, he had remembered that the way to deactivate the strips was to put the new strips on the old, but what he forgot was that it caused a chemical reaction that was scientifically called an "Electromagnetic Magnesium- Carbohydratic explosion." This means that a large explosion occurred that did not make a lot of painful heat, but created a huge amount of smoke and sound; the two things that made it so that the people in charge would be able to find him.  
  
//Oh well.// Thomas thought as the guards surrounded him and began to drag him back towards his room. //Now I don't have to deactivate them next time.//  
  
**************************************************************************** **************************** *  
  
Ok, end chappie there. I think that 7,860 words is enough for now. ^_^  
  
I hope you enjoyed this chappie! I have to go now. Do you see what I meant when I said Kura got evil? (Kura is Mojobubbles's nickname for Bakura. I'm using it! That OK Mojobubbles?) Well, he's not really evil, but this means he's gunna be doing some evil things.  
  
Anyways, gotta go now! See ya next chappie!  
  
--Daricio 


	26. Yami's surprise!

Hello everyone!  
  
(To everyone: I know the author notes are really long today, but PLEASE read them. I swear that mixed in with all the random jamble are some really important questions and things that need to be answered and that are some answers to other people.) ..... (I think I just cunfuzzled myself...)  
  
O.O WOW!!!!!!!! I just looked at the last time I updated... I haven't updated for a whole month now!!!! Yeesh!!! Sorry guys.....  
  
It took forever to get out! And it's not even very long!... I didn't even START writing it until about a week after posting the last one... *Sigh* I DO have good reasons though!  
  
REASON #1!!!  
  
You see, my sister is trying to write a new story called the Millennium Item Girl. It is a really cool story, (Mostly cuz I helped her write it) so go and read it! Right now!!! Ok, maybe not right now... Finish reading this chapter first, then go read it...  
  
But anyway, since I am helping her write it, my head has been filled with tons of ideas for her story, and also a bunch for mine... And I keep writing myself into corners because of accidently writing about Rada in this story and Daricio in the other story and have to back up and rewrite it with the correct characters.... So, yeah... We've been workin real hard on that story and I barely had time to start this one...  
  
So, when you're done reading this, (review on it, of course) then go and review Millennium Item Girl! So far it has only one tiny review!!!!  
  
REASON #2!!!!  
  
(And I use a quote from Mojobubbles's Bio) "I have come to the conclusion that teachers are ignorant, evil beings who think we have no lives of our own and enjoy doing homework." Yeah... I have two assignments that have a total worth of 600 points!!! Plus the teachers keep giving us MORE STUFF!!!!!!!! And part of it is a speech in front of about 120 people!!!!! XP *Falls over* ......... And that, my friends, is why it took me a month to update...  
  
Ok, more additional random stuff...  
  
I got more reviews!!!! YAY!!!! I've got more than DVD!!! ^_^ 82!!!!! Thank you so much guys! Reading those reviews made me happyful! ^_^ Thank you to the following: Mojobubbles, (Though again she has changed her name...Perpetually Hyper One) Caterfree10, (Who has also changed her name... The insane Otaku AKA Caterfree) Serena Bunny, Pruningshears, Yana, Yugiplushie, Tamera Raymond, and... Yogurt?  
  
(* IMPORTANT QUESTION PEOPLE!!!!!!!! *) (*AND I MEAN RRRRREEEEEEEEAAAAAALLLLLLLYYY IMPORTANT!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! REALLY REALLY IMPORTANT!!!!!!!!!! DON'T NOT READ THIS!!!!!! READ IT!!!!!!!!!*) Should I continue with the interludes? I mean, the only way to continue them is to keep Mr. Gice in the nuthouse, and if I do that, several people will strangle me... and I quote, "Poor Mr. Gice!!!" Well, actually, I have SOME ideas for him being out of the nuthouse, but I'm not sure if they would work, so I need opinions on that...  
  
*NEWS FLASH!!!!!!!!!*  
  
I get glassies!!!!!! They ish purple!!!!!! I wore them to school, and nobody noticed them... I pointed them out to a person, and they said, "......*Looks at Daricio's face* Oh! I didn't see them! They blend into your face!" ...So.... Yeah... Invisiglasses... (And, no... My chara Daricio is not going to get glassies as well... That's just me. Not her. And, yeah...)  
  
So, if there is nothing else to say, we can start the fic... *Braces self for "Misspelled!" but hears only silence*.... Can it be???? YES!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!  
  
MY WORD SCRIBE IS GOOOOOONNNNEEE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! YYYEEEEEEEEEEEEAAAAAAHHHH!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! ^_^ The trial period is finally over!!! Yay!!! Yippy!!!! Wahooo!!!!!! ^_^ Now Serena Bunny doesn't have to destroy my computer!!! (She said that if her computer ever did that to her, that she would destroy it, so that implies that she would have been willing to destroy my computer if I had asked her to... Which would have been fun, but now that it's gone, she doesn't have to...) ^_^  
  
Ok, actually, before i start the fic, I must do a little rant... Just because I'm mad about this little thing that the stupid dubbers did....  
  
SLIFER?!?!?!? SLIFER?!?!?!!?!?!?!? WHAT KIND OF NAME IS SLIFER?!?!?!?!?!!?!!?!?! *Ahem* allow me to explain... In the English version, for the god card, they put that his name is "Slifer: The Sky Dragon"... It's SUPPOSED to be "Saint Dragon: God of Osiris" !!!!!!! OSIRIS!!! YOU HEAR ME?!?!?!?! OSIRIS!!!!!!!!!!! *Breaths heavily* In Egypt, Osiris is the god of the dead, and worked together with another god named... *drumroll* Isis! So, it fits PERFECTLY with Yu-Gi-Oh!! *Breathes heavily* SO WHY IN THE WORLD DID THEY COME UP WITH A NAME LIKE SLIFER?!?!?!?!?!!?!?!?!!? Slifer the Sky Dragon! Sheesh!!! Sounds like something you'd put on a car... Slifer! The window wiper!!! *Breathes heavily* ..... *Ahem* Ok, I feel better now... Sorta... Still mad at stupid dubbers... Oh well... At least Malik isn't Terrance... That is maybe their one good quality... I mean, come on... Slifer?! ... *Sigh* stupid stupid stupid....  
  
And another rant!!!  
  
Why in the world did Seto come up with that brilliant idea to use that really cool cycle trick that Yugi did before Yugi figured it out? Yugi's supposed to be the expert duelist that comes up with all the cool stuff, not Seto!!! He just supposed to come up with his own stuff, not stuff Yugi does!!! *Sigh* He figured it out first.... XP ...Oh well... Now just to make me feel better, when I finally get to that point, I'm gunna have Yami figure it out before Daricio does... Anyhow, back to the rant... How in the world does Seto think he can beat Yugi now? He can't use the same technique that Yugi used to beat "Slifer," He'd have to come up with a differant strategy... Cuz Yugi doesn't have a revival jam thingymabobber thing that I forgot it's name.... And neither does Seto.... And even if they did, Yugi doesn't have that one card that makes him draw three cards for every time a monster reforms so if Seto did get that revival thingy, it would just be "attack, reform! attack, reform! attack, reform!" in one continuous round! It would get boring really fast... And neither of them have the one card that lets them have more than six cards in their hand either... So yeah...  
  
And ANOTHER RANT!!!!  
  
What was with that two v two duel? That sucked! Any duel in which Yugi and Seto WILLINGLY work together has got to be worth AT LEAST a full episode! And Yugi's got to do more than just put two cards face down and play Kuribo in defence mode!!! *Sigh* Bad peoples.. bad bad peoples... EVILNESS!!!!!!!!!! evilevilevilevilevilevilevilevilevilevilevil...... XP  
  
Ok, now that I'm done ranting.... On to the fic!!!!! ...Actually, not on to the fic!!!!  
  
I have made the decision that I am going to do individual Review Responses... (Like what Mojobubbles and some other people do) It makes people feel better about reviewing... And it makes me feel like I'm not ignoring people! So, here goes!  
  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
  
Review responses!!!!  
  
Random Reviewer 209854- I like reviews from real people better than random reviews, but... *Shrugs* Oh well... I'm glad you like the interludes! And, actually, you did spell it right!  
  
Pruningshears- ^_^ Ok, now I dunt feel bad bout making Bakura make a deal with Radley. You so nice! Not evil at all! ^_^... Your welcome for the mention! You deserve mention lately! (Getting accepted at collage and all that!) And, the letting Mr. Gice out thing will fall to the opinion of the reviewers...  
  
The Perpetually Hyper One- (AKA Mojobubbles) ^^ You is definetly hyper... *turns to Kamilah* Did her high finally wear off? Does it ever wear off? No? I thought not... Mine doesn't either!!!!! (Although mine's not from Inu- Yasha...) Thanks for correcting me on the "Doom" song thing... I knew it was the doom song, but it SOUNDS like the doo song, so that's just how I always do it... And, thanks for letting me use Kura! (That didn't sound right...)  
  
Yana- Yes, different is good... ^_^  
  
Yogurt- Veeeeery interesting penname.... Anyhow, glad you like the story! Yes, I will try and keep going... Not sure how that will work with evil teachers and other stories and nobody reviewing on Millenium Item Girl...  
  
YugiPlushie- lol. I'm sorry there wasn't a done chappie after that one... Glad you like it! Thanks for the compliment! *Turns to other reviewers, pointing to YugiPlushie's review* See, it's stuff like this that makes me feel all good inside! *Gets glared at* Er... not to say that YOUR reviews WEREN'T good.... hehe...  
  
Tamera Raymond- No sticking celery up your nose, huh? That's going on my quotes list...... Finally, somebody says that my fic is better than his!!!!! (Although I do enjoy going over and helping him type it up, because it's fun to write insanity fics now and then)... And thankies for putting me on your favorites!!! (You know, there's only 5 people that have me on their favorite author list... and two of those are my siblings... And there's no way for me to know how many people have my story on their fav lists... It doesn't tell you... So... Yeah...)  
  
The Insane Otaku (AKA Caterfree)- I'm glad you like my chappies!!! ^_^ And thanks for letting me use YAY!!! Anyone can use it now! YAY! ^^ Here's the continuation that you requested!  
  
Serena Bunny- Ok, not exactly sure why you said the last chappie was boring. I mean. I know SOME of it was, but. *Shrug* you'll have to explain to me exactly what was boring to you so that I can not do it next chappie. I know I have better ideas, though. That's why I'm putting them into THIS chappie!And other chappies! ^^ And.. Joey WAS in that last chappie a lot, ne? . But, alright. I'll put him in this one if I can. Course, he's a big part of Battle City, so of course I'm gunna have him in a lot.  
  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
  
Ok, that's all the reviews! Now, on with the fic!!!! (Sure did take me long enough... If this chappie actually ends up being over 5000 words long, it'll be because the author's note took up so much space...) ^_^  
  
****************************************************************************  
  
{The next morning} (No particular POV... It starts out as Daricio, but then it's Yami...)  
  
Daricio's alarm clock went off at 5:00 AM that morning, just like it did every morning.  
  
BEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEPPPPPPPP !!!!!!!!!!  
  
Both Yami and Daricio jumped. Yami gave the clock a death glare. Daricio sat up in bed and hit the snooze button, shaking her head to clear the sleep out of it. She shut the clock off and looked down at the floor, preparing to get out of bed. She was startled to see that Yami was still sitting on the floor in his temporary physical form watching TV. She shook her head.  
  
The night before, she had offered to let him look at Yu-Gi-Oh episodes that she had recorded in order to distract him from what Yugi was saying to Tea....... Two or three hours later, She said that she had to go to bed, and he told her he'd "Turn down the volume and just watch a few more, then he'd go." Apparently he watched more than just a few...  
  
"Morning." She said. He looked up.  
  
Yami looked out the window. "It's morning?" He asked.  
  
Daricio nodded. "Yeah...Did you sleep last night, Yami?"  
  
"No...But...How can it be morning? It's still dark!"  
  
Daricio smiled. "The sun doesn't usually come up until 6:00 or so, Yami. It's only 5."  
  
Yami nodded slowly. "Oh." He switched off the TV. "I didn't realize what time it was."  
  
Daricio jumped out of bed, then pulled on her shoes and went over to the door. "In a normal situation, I would say that it's alright for you to stay here until I get done with the paper route, but... Yugi has a surprise for you today and you need some sleep." she told him.  
  
"A surprise?" Yami asked.  
  
"Yup! It'll be fun."  
  
Yami nodded grimly. "I'm not a big fan of surprises..." He informed her.  
  
Daricio shrugged. "You'll like this one." She said. Then she went out the door hurried down the stairs to start her route.  
  
Yami yawned, then let his physical form fade as he returned to Daricio's soul room, then tiptoed through Yugi's soul room so as not to wake him up, and finally, ended up back in his own. (Tongue twister there...)  
  
He sat on the edge of his mental bed, thinking.  
  
He had seen almost all of Daricio's videos... He thought it was amusing how they added in music here and there... It made it seem like it was more dramatic than it really was...  
  
Also, time passed "faster"... There was several times when little things that had happened were edited out. Like, they had edited out when Tristan was convinced that they should go one way, and everyone else wanted to go a different way... Tristan had finally just gone with them because of two reasons. He didn't want to have to travel alone, and he didn't have a dueling deck so he couldn't do anything alone anyway... The time that was spent wandering around Pegasus's island searching for people to duel and trying to get un-lost was also edited out...  
  
And the cameras obviously weren't as good as the people thought they were... The life points did weird things sometimes... Like subtracting 400 LP instead of 500 or other odd mistakes...  
  
Yami looked around suddenly. //They could be filming me right now, for all I know...// He thought nervously. //I hope I don't look stupid...//  
  
He shook his head. //This is really strange... Only a week ago, I was wondering whether Daricio was really going to be a part of my destiny... Now I'm worrying about a TV show...Boy, have my priorities changed...//  
  
He lay down on the 'bed' and sighed. //Things are definitely more complicated than they were a few weeks ago.// He thought as he faded off to sleep.  
  
***************************************************************** {Daricio: Later}  
  
Daricio looked up at the school clock, longing for it to hurry up and change so that the bell would ring so she could go to her next class and get out of math, in which she had a TON of make-up work for not being there for a week.  
  
Suddenly, she realized just what time it was... It was already 9:50! Yugi was meeting with Tea at 10! She quickly opened her mind link with Yugi.  
  
(A/N Last chappie, when Yugi told Tea to meet him at Domino station, I had forgotten that he had said, "Meet me at Domino Station at ten o clock!" And not just, "meet me at Domino Station!" *Blush* Sorry...)  
  
//Yugi? Yugi, you awake yet?// She asked.  
  
She received a mumble in reply.  
  
//I'll take that as a no.// She thought. //YUGI!!!!!!!!!!!!//  
  
//Huh?? Wha? What's going on, Darici- Oh, no...// Yugi asked, waking up suddenly and also realizing what time it was.  
  
//That's right, Yugi. You better get moving! What happened to your alarm clock?//  
  
//I wouldn't be surprised if Yami turned it off...// Yugi replied.  
  
//That seems likely.// Daricio agreed. //Is he up yet?//  
  
//I'm up, I'm up...// Yami said, yawning. //And no, I did not turn off your clock.//  
  
//Yami, are you ok?// Yugi asked.  
  
//Yes. I'm fine. Just didn't get to sleep last night.// He said.  
  
//Yup. Watching Yu-Gi-Oh episodes late into the night.// Daricio said, mentally grinning. Outwardly, she was pretending to work on math homework so that her math teacher wouldn't come swooping down on her like a vulture demanding to know why she wasn't doing her work.  
  
//Not late into the night!// Yami said defensively.  
  
//Ok, fine. All night.//  
  
Yugi laughed. Yami frowned, then changed the subject.  
  
//So, what is this big surprise you have planned for me?// He asked.  
  
Yugi grinned. //You'll see!//  
  
//We can't tell you! It's be a cool duel, though!// Daricio put in slyly.  
  
//Duel?// Yami asked.  
  
Yugi frowned at Daricio, then channeled his thoughts so that only she could hear. //Ok, now you're just having fun confusing him.// He accused.  
  
//Who, me? Naw... I'm just trying to keep him from guessing his surprise!//  
  
//And messing with his mind, too...// Yugi sighed.  
  
Daricio shrugged. //Added bonus//  
  
Yugi sighed again, then switched back to talking to everybody.  
  
// Now... If only I could decide what to wear!//  
  
Daricio shook her head slightly. //Yugi, might I remind you that you're late? Just pick something and go! You're lucky! When you can't find something to wear, you can just put on your school uniform... We don't have school uniforms.//  
  
//If you don't have to wear those, then YOU'RE the lucky one. I'm not gunna wear my uniform today! I hafta wear that every day! I'm going to wear something different today!//  
  
//Fine, whatever... Just don't be late!//  
  
//Here, Yugi. I'll help.// Yami put in.  
  
Daricio sighed. //Boys...//  
  
She looked up at the clock again and put her math stuff away. There was just one minute until class was over, and she wanted to be prepared to get out of there ASAP.  
  
Yugi ran out the door, heading to Domino Station.  
  
Finally, the bell rang, startling Yugi slightly as he raced down the street,and causing Daricio to rush the math room's door.  
  
In the halls, she tried to avoid getting into conversations with people so that she could pay better attention to what Yugi and Yami were doing. What they were doing was more fun than this...  
  
It was kinda cool, actually. To be walking down the halls at boring old school, and yet, sorta, at the same time be running down the street towards a place that, two weeks ago, she hadn't known actually existed. It was exciting.  
  
"Hey, Daricio!" Someone suddenly called out to her. She sighed, then stopped and turned around, letting Josh catch up.  
  
"Hey." She replied.  
  
"What's up with you lately?" Josh asked casually.  
  
"Not too much, really. And you?"  
  
"Ooooh... Mutant aliens took over the world... evil villans captured the aliens and took over the world... Then I captured the villans and took over the world!"  
  
"Riiight. What's REALLY up?"  
  
"I told you! Aliens, Villans, and taking over the world! That and the sky, of course."  
  
Daricio laughed. "You're hopeless."  
  
"Yup!"  
  
Yugi saw Tea up ahead and stopped for a moment. "Ok, Yami. This is where you take over!" He said aloud. The Puzzle glowed slightly, then Yami was suddenly forced out.  
  
He blinked.  
  
"Hey!!! Wait a... I'm not... Yugi, this isn't a duel!!!!" Yami cried out, flailing about and yelling in the general direction of the puzzle, which was swinging around franticly.  
  
Just then, he noticed Tea staring at him. He quickly stood up straight and help up his hand. "Hello." He said, his face turning slightly red as he realized that he had been caught doing something slightly stupid.  
  
Daricio couldn't help it. She cracked up. //That's it, I'm definitely recording today's episode!// She crowed.  
  
Josh gave her a strange look as she burst out laughing. "What?"  
  
She shook her head, still laughing slightly. "Nothing... Absolutely nothing..."  
  
"Right... Now you're the hopeless one."  
  
"Yup!"  
  
They continued walking down the hall toward Daricio's classroom, still talking.  
  
"So, where were you last week?" Josh inquired.  
  
"Um... I was... sick..." Daricio said, frowning and looking at the floor.  
  
"Ooh. Ok. I bet you have a TON of homework, then." Josh said, grinning.  
  
Daricio nodded. "Oooooh yeah." She sighed.  
  
They reached Daricio's classroom and the conversation came to an abrupt end.  
  
"Well, I'll see ya."  
  
"Bye."  
  
Daricio went into the classroom and Josh ran off towards his next class.  
  
Two girls came up beside Daricio as she walked in, talking about whatever stuff they happened to be talking about. Suddenly, one of them looked up, noticed Daricio beside her and walked around her to the other side, placing her in the center of the little 'group.'  
  
"You're Daricio, right?" She asked. Daricio nodded, looking from one girl to the other slightly nervously.  
  
"And you're..." Daricio trailed off.  
  
"Bethany. And this is Aiko."  
  
(A/N Aiko means "little loved one" in Japanese...I think... I was trying to be sarcastic... These two are horrid preppies...)  
  
"Oh." Daricio said, nodding. "Sorry..."  
  
"That's Ok, Daricio." Aiko said with a toss of her long, silky, obviously- washed-four-times-a-day hair. "Everyone forgets us sometimes! But we... put up with it."  
  
"So.. I hear that YOU beat up Chris last week!" Bethany said with a mischievous look in her eye.  
  
"Sort of...Not really, though..." Daricio trailed off again, suddenly desperately wanting to change the subject.  
  
Bethany and Aiko exchanged glances. "Really now..." Bethany asked.  
  
"Well, you see." Daricio started to explain that it was Chris's fault and that she had only hit him once.  
  
"Well, class is starting!" Aiko exclaimed quickly. The two ran to their seats, giggling.  
  
//What was THAT all about?// She wondered.  
  
//Freaks...// Yugi commented, having watched the exchange.  
  
//My thoughts exactly...//  
  
Daricio slowly walked to her seat and sat down, looking up at the teacher who was just about to start the lesson.  
  
"Ok, class! Welcome to your first day back!"  
  
"Back from what?" Someone asked.  
  
"From the weekend!"  
  
The class groaned.  
  
The teacher tried to fit in with the teens, but... There are some people who are naturally young at heart and just simply get along with everybody, be it babies, teenagers, or fifty-year-old idiots. And there were others who made themselves look like the afore mentioned fifty-year-old idiots and would be better off and would make the world a nicer place simply by sitting in rocking chairs, reading the paper and yelling at random people who passed by.  
  
"Now, today we will start our Earth Science lesson! Take out a sheet of paper to take notes!" She called.  
  
She walked over and shut off almost all of the lights, and turned on her overhead. Then she took out her overhead pen, popped the cap off, and sat on her teacher stool.  
  
Daricio tried to pay attention to the lesson, but occasionally, she would hear whispers and giggling coming from the other side of the room. When she looked over to see what was so funny, there would be a few people looking at her and the giggling would abruptly stop.  
  
This happened about five times, and each time the whispers and giggles were louder and there were more people staring at her.  
  
//Something tells me I just became the latest "talk."// Daricio thought dryly.  
  
Yugi nodded solemnly and Daricio sighed.  
  
//Suddenly, I cannot WAIT for this class to get over. This is going to be a loooooong period...//  
  
***********************************************************************  
  
{Mr. Gice} (Again, opinions on this...)  
  
The wall moved closer and closer and closer until Mr. Gice's nose was right next to the rubber padding. Then it retreated and got farther and farther and farther away until it was as far away as it could get and Mr. Gice ran into the soft backing of the wall behind him. Then he went forward again and it got closer and closer and closer until he went into reverse and it got farther and farther and farther...  
  
It was Mr. Gice's way of pacing the room without him having to use up the extra energy it took to turn around each time he reached the other wall. Plus, as an added bonus, the soft walls made it so that he didn't have to worry about running into something sharp when he walked backwards, like he had to do at the lab.  
  
Back and forth. Back and forth. Back and forth...  
  
He had been planning on trying to break out again that very night and had been making arrangements, but then the guards came in and searched him, taking Seto's Electromagnetic Magnesium-Carbohydrate strips away from him.  
  
He had realized that the only way they could have known about those strips would be if there were hidden security cameras in his room.  
  
He had given up searching for them about a half an hour ago after looking for about 3 hours.  
  
If his hypothesis was correct, and there really were cameras in there, then those guards had done a really good job of hiding them...  
  
Back and forth. Back and forth. Back and forth. Back and forth...  
  
Where could those cameras be? Where did those guards hide them? Where where where?  
  
Back and forth. Back and forth. Back and forth. Back and forth. Back and forth. The wall came closer, then got farther away. Then closer. Then farther. Then closer. Then Farther. Then-  
  
"Mr. Thomas S. Gice!!!!" A voice yelled sternly. Mr. Gice jumped about a foot into the air, looking around, then spotted the man standing at the door who was watching him.  
  
Mr. Gice stopped his "Pacing" and stood at military style attention, his hand held up in a salute.  
  
The man sighed and rubbed his temples, then he spoke. "Mr. Gice, that is really annoying. Would it be too much to ask that you stop?!"  
  
"Sorry." Mr. Gice said. He sat down cross-legged on the floor, bouncing slightly. His hand was still in salute. "Better?"  
  
"Thomas, that is not what I meant, and you know it."  
  
"Oh." Mr. Gice dropped his salute, looking up at the guard innocently. "This better?"  
  
"I meant walking back and forth like that! You're driving us all bonkers!" The man said haughtily. He quickly stepped out of the room and slammed it shut in sheer frustration.  
  
Mr. Gice stared at the door in wonder for a moment. If anybody had been looking in from the window, they wouldn't have been able to see his "pacing" because he had been doing it on the wall next to the door, in the blind spot of the window.  
  
He nodded firmly. This proved his theory that there were cameras in there... he got up and began "pacing" again, thinking.  
  
The camera obviously wasn't near the door, as he had originally suspected, or they still wouldn't have been able to see the pacing. It had to be in one of the back corners of the room...  
  
He moved over to the left side of the room in what would be the camera's blind spot in if were in that corner and "paced" some more. If there was a camera in that corner, it wouldn't be able to see him.  
  
Back and forth. Back and forth. Back and forth. Back and forth.  
  
"Mr. Gice!!!!" The door was opened again and the same man entered, his face beet red from anger. Mr. Gice regained the afore mentioned military style attention with salute.  
  
"Yes?"  
  
"I thought I told you to stop!!!"  
  
"You didn't say please."  
  
The reply sounded forced. "Mr. Gice..... Will you....PLEASE... stop it!"  
  
Mr. Gice frowned. "Well, you don't have to be all haughty about it all... if you had just asked me!"  
  
"I DID ask you..."  
  
"Well! I cert-" His remark was cut short by the door slamming shut again.  
  
Mr. Gice thought for a moment. They could still see him when he was on that side, then. The camera was in the right corner.  
  
He went over there and began carefully checking the walls, searching for the cameras once again.  
  
It took him a while, but soon, sure enough, there was the camera, stuffed snugly into one of the creases of the padded part. Actually, there were three of them. He quickly grabbed them all, rewound the tapes that were in them, quickly edited out his "pacing", set it for a loop, then pressed play. All within five minutes.  
  
There. Now no matter what he did, they would think he was just doing what he had been doing. He put them back into the crease and began "Pacing" again.  
  
The tapes hadn't been that long... They had just recently been put in there... Probably had been put in right after his first escape attempt with Seto. That made sense...  
  
That would explain why the alarm went off when he had tried to get out before. They must have seen him getting out and triggered the alarm. When they couldn't find him, they turned it off, knowing it would make him come out of hiding.  
  
They were catching on to him...  
  
He went over and picked up one of the cameras, turning it over in his hands. There were several useful parts in there and he really doubted that they would see one camera going nuts for a few brief seconds... And if they were catching onto him, he would have to get out soon, before they raised security even more than it was already.  
  
He pulled the plug on the camera and plugged it into an extra jack on one of the other cameras. This made it so that the television set that was hooked into that camera would now show the exact same thing that the other camera was showing. He hoped that nobody would notice.  
  
Turning and sitting down with his back to the window, just in case anyone came in to check on him, he began taking the camera apart and laying them out on the rubber floor in groups of needed parts and unneeded parts. The unneeded ones would be useful for creating snappers, which he could throw at the guards later just for fun. Snappers are simply twisted pieces of metal that made loud snapping sounds when they hit people. Or things. Or whatever you were throwing them at.  
  
The pieces thus separated out, he began the tedious work of building a few Electromagnetic Magnesium-Carbohydrate strips. It would take a while. It was one thing to de-securitize an inactive strip. Building a whole new one was another thing entirely.  
  
***********************************************************************  
  
{Tea}  
  
Tea looked down at her watch, then looked around. Yugi was supposed to be there! Where was he?  
  
She was kinda nervous about talking to someone who had been living in a gold puzzle for who-knows-how-long... What would she say to him?  
  
What if she ended up doing something or saying something stupid that would embarrass herself or the spirit? What if she accidently called him Yugi?  
  
This was so confusing... What if-  
  
She turned as she heard Yugi's voice yelling at someone... But... It wasn't exactly like Yugi's voice, nor did the person she saw look exactly like Yugi either... It must be the spirit...  
  
He seemed to be yelling at the puzzle, which was swinging out in front of him... What was he doing?  
  
Suddenly he noticed her looking at him, straightened up, raised one hand in greeting, and said, "Hello." His face turned slightly red.  
  
"Hi." She replied. He walked over slowly, looking around. Then he looked at Tea and smiled shyly.  
  
Tea almost laughed. He was almost as nervous about this as she was! Some of her fear melted away and she was able to relax enough to get a sentance out without squeaking...  
  
"Umm... wanna get something to eat?" She asked, not sure what else to say.  
  
The spirit looked confused. "Actually, I don't know quite why Yugi wanted me to come out here... He never told me, just said it was a surprise..."  
  
"Um... he just told me to show you around the town for a while..." Tea said.  
  
"Oh... But why would Yugi...." The spirit trailed off..  
  
Tea shook her head slightly. "This is really weird..." She muttered under her breath.  
  
"Why?" The spirit asked. His hearing was apparantly better then most people's...  
  
"Umm.. Well, you see..." Tea fought for the right words to express her confusion. "Um... You have been coming out to help Yugi so much that it's kinda hard for some of us to tell the differences between you..."  
  
The spirit frowned. "I have been told that I am taller than him, and that's how people tell us apart..."  
  
Tea nodded. "I know... But you and Yugi's voices sound kinda the same... So when I hear you say, "I don't know why Yugi wanted me to come out." It would be like me suddenly saying, "I don't know why Tea wanted me to come out." See? Like I was suddenly talking in third person about myself..."  
  
The spirit nodded. "Ah. I understand..."  
  
Tea laughed. "Really? Good, maybe you could explain it to me sometime... I think I just confused myself..."  
  
The spirit smiled.  
  
"So, how about we go and get something to eat now?" Tea suggested.  
  
The spirit nodded. "Sure."  
  
They went over to a nearby resteraunt and sat down at one of the tables near the window. A young waitress came up to the table.  
  
"Good morning to you!" She said cheerfully. "What can I get for you today?"  
  
"We'll just have some burgers." Tea responded automatically.  
  
"Alrighty then! And for drinks? Special discount on Hot chocolate today!"  
  
"We'll have that then."  
  
"Okay! We'll have that ready in a juffy, then!" She skipped off.  
  
Suddenly Tea realized something. She turned to the spirit. "Erm... You DO like burgers, right?"  
  
The spirit shrugged. "Actually, I have never tried them... Yugi says they're good though..."  
  
"Oh. Sorry... It's just that... Well... whenever Yugi comes here he gets burgers, so I just kinda assumed..." Tea trailed off, looking out the window. It was stupid little mistakes like that that she had been afraid of making...  
  
"That's ok." The spirit stared out the window as well.  
  
There was silence for a moment, then the spirit spoke up again, whispering softly.  
  
"The hot chocolate, though..." He trailed off.  
  
"What about it?"  
  
"Never mind..."  
  
They sat in nervous silence for a while until the waitress came back.  
  
"Well, the burgers are a bit on the late side, so you'll have to wait for them, but here are your drinks anyway..." The girl said somewhat gloomily, as if she felt personally reponsible for them not getting their burgers.  
  
"That's ok." Tea assured the waitress. "We'll just have the drinks."  
  
The girl brightened up again. "Ok!" She gave them their drinks, then skipped off.  
  
Tea shook her head. "She is waaaay too into this job."She commented softly.  
  
The spirit nodded, still staring out the window, now holding the cup in his hands.  
  
The silence returned as the two stared out the window a while longer, Tea occationally taking sips of her hot chocolate.  
  
After a while, it bacame unbearable for Tea... She had to talk about SOMETHING..... They couldn't just sit there the whole day staring out the window.... She looked over at the spirit.  
  
She realized that he hadn't touched his drink yet. "That's going to get cold if you don't drink it." She commented.  
  
He nodded slowly. "Yes. I know... That's the point..."  
  
"What?"  
  
The spirit's gaze shifted from the window to his cup. "The last time I tried hot chocolate, I tried to drink it too fast... It was hot..." He said simply.  
  
Tea nodded in understanding. "Oh, I see. I get it now... It should be cool enough to drink by now." She said.  
  
The spirit shook his head. "Perhaps... I'll just let it sit for a while to be sure..."  
  
Tea shrugged, then changed the subject, remembering what Yugi had told her to do the night before.  
  
"Sooo... How much of your past do you remember?" She asked casually. The spirit's already dark face grew darker.  
  
"I don't remember much..." He admitted. "I know that my origins lie in Ancient Egypt, and that I now reside within the Millenium Puzzle, but that's about it..."  
  
"Oh..." Tea said. She reached down into her jacket pocket and pulled out a newspaper article she had found that morning. "Take a look at this! It's the new Egyptian Exhibit down at the museum! Maybe if we go to that, we can learn more about your past!"  
  
The spirit looked out the window again. "I don't know, Tea... I'm not so sure that I really want to find out about and face my past yet... I just... Don't think I'm ready..."  
  
"Yeah, me too... I know our circumstances and our goals are different, but we are sorta the same! Your dream is to find out more about yourself, mine is to become a dancer! I always say that we should just learn to follow our dreams! Do whatever I feel like doing! Live for the moment!" Tea grinned, her initial nervousness completely gone. "Ok, I just totally inspired myself! Let's go!"  
  
"But what about-?"  
  
The spirit didn't get to finish his sentance as he was pulled out the door. The hot chocolate sat forgotten on the table.  
  
************************************************************************  
  
Well, people, I was going to do a Daricio POV right now, but... I really need to end this chappie so that you can read it... The Daricio POV will be first thing next chappie.  
  
About the Daricio thing... And her becoming the "latest talk"... (That will turn to gossip and rumors next chappie, just so you know) but that isn't real.... Daricio needs to be doing something other than battle city so that it's not JUST battle city, it's also Daricio doing stuff... And the talk being about Chris kinda pulls the story together some more...  
  
Ok, well... Just so that you know, I'm going to go back and retype the first few chapters of this story... I just recently went back and read them, and they totally suck! I will make them sound better... So... within the next few weeks or so, be watching for that...  
  
Alright, I know that the thing people most remember about a story is the stuff they last read about... So... So that you will remember, I will repeat a few things that I want you to remember!  
  
First of all, the Mr. Gice thing! Let him out of the nuthouse, or no? OPINIONS PEOPLE!!!  
  
Second of all, When you're done reviewing on this, GO READ MILLENIUM ITEM GIRL!!!!!!!! ^_^  
  
Third of all, My bro DVD has been having really interesting stuff happen in his fic! Go read that as well! He put ME in it! ^_^ Fun! (I'm helping him type it, so actually, I put me in... *shrugs* same differance)  
  
So, that's all I would like to say for now! See ya!  
  
--Daricio! 


	27. Beginning of Battle City!

Ok peoples!  
  
Yay! I updated!!!! Took me long enough, huh? ^_^U  
  
So now you can read my loverly fic! But first, I would like to show to you some other fics that were written, either by me, Shells, or DVD, that we would like you to go and read. They are all just as good as this one, (In my opinion) and so I'd like it if you'd read and review on them!  
  
I STILL want peoples to go and read Millennium Item Girl, of course. That's obvious from what I've been saying in the last chappie. In addition, though, for those Harry Potter fans, I now have a Harry Potter/Yu-Gi-Oh crossover! It's called Millennium Magic. So go read that. I also have a new Yu-Gi-Oh thing called "Ring Logic." that I've been working on for a while and have just recently posted up. (At least it was recent when I started writing this chappie... ^_^U) Then, DVD's fic has been getting interesting and cool, so I'd like it if you would go and read that too!  
  
And then there's the Fic that DVD and I have started together that's called... "FanFiction Virus!" It's really funny! I'm in it!!! ^_^ We get to save Fanfiction.net from an evil virus that deletes everybody's reviews!!!!!  
  
^_^ So now you know what I've been doing with my time....  
  
Before you read this chapter, be forwarned... This is not called Yami- bashing, it's simply "Poking-fun-at-Yami." It's meant to be funny, not mean. This is so that I dun't get into trouble with rabid fangirls... ^_^  
  
Random question... Biiiig question that has nothing to do with this ficcie.... Am I a preppie? Do you think of me as a preppie? A couple of girls at my school called me a preppie.... It's cuz whe I sit in class, I always have to "play with my hair" alot and "toss it in the air" and "smirk at people as if I'm this super genious and they're just stupid." My hair's really long and when I lean over my work at school, it gets all over my paper, so I have to toss it back over my shoulders at times during class... It apparently annoys people... And I do NOT smirk at people....(I AM smarter than them, but that's beside the point. ^_^)  
  
*Looks at thingy* (ERK!!!) I haven't updated in HOW long?!?!?!? Whoopsies... That's NOT a good thing... I apparently haven't updated for an entire month!!! And I STILL have a stupid shortie chappy! Sorry.... Apparently I can't type as fast as I thought I could type... ^_^U  
  
If you see typos in this chappie, it's because I'm rushing... Sorry. Plus, for some reason, my hands are getting clumsy, and I usually achieve about five typos per paragraph that I have to go back and fix... ^_^U Sowwy! (Not a typo, BTW... ^_^U)  
  
Random note:  
  
ONLY ONE MORE REVIEW AND THEN I'LL HAVE 100!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! YAYZ!!!!!!!!!!!!! ^_^ I'm very pleased. I've never gotten this many reviews afore! I must thank all of you! Thank you! Thank you! *bows* ^_^  
  
Oh, plus I've realized that I have no disclaimer for this fic! ^_^U Whoops.... Here it is... I'm not gunna do this every chapter, just this chapter.  
  
I do not own Yu-Gi-Oh or related characters or ideas. I also do not own the term temporary physical form. Or the "Doom" song. And probably other things I haven't mentioned as well.  
  
I do, however own the character Mr. Gice and all ideas that he comes up with, the name Radley and the name Roo, but only when applied to Yami Bakura, the Electromagnetic Magnesium-Carbohydrate strips and all related theories and reactions, and the snappers that Mr. Gice makes. If anybody ever makes these in real life, however, they will belong to the person who creates them. ^_^  
  
If anybody wants to use any of my terms, names, or ideas, just simply do so and remember to mention my name in the author notes in the beginning of the chappie. It's also nice to tell me that you're going to do this.  
  
Gee, that was more of a claimer than a disclaimer, huh? ^_^U  
  
Okies!... Now that that's done, there's nothing else to do but the Review Responses, then the fic! Yay!  
  
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Review Responses!  
  
Insane Otaku (AKA Caterfree): You always say that you love my chappies! ^_^ Thankies! Even if the last chappie was kinda short... That's vote #1 for letting Mr. Gice out!  
  
Perpetually Hyper One: Thanks for revealing to me that it ends alright! I was wondering... ^_^  
  
I also hate preppies... When I wrote that, somehow I just KNEW you were going to say something about it... I get preppies around me too... There's a pair of guys that walk by our little Yu-Gi-Oh corner every day at lunch and shout, "Yu-Gi-Oh sucks!" or "Yu-Gi-Oh is Gay!"... one of these days, the 12-20 people sitting around playing Yu-Gi-Oh are going to kick those guy's butts.... ^_^  
  
You like the Stepping Out episode! I do too! Actually, I like all the episodes, so I guess that doesn't count... I guess it does... we'll go with that!  
  
No, my face ish not purple... At least... Dunt think it is... *Looks in mirror* AAAAAAHHHHH!!!!!!!!!!!! It IS purple!!! AAAAHHHHHH!!!!! Wait... no, it isn't... my bad... Anywhos, I think what they meant was that it fit my personality, so it was hard to notice... I think... unless they're colorblind and thought that my face was purple... ^_^  
  
Yes, I know... These people, (Teh teachers) are either trying to murder us, or make us go totally and absoulutely insane... _  
  
I like long reviews! Long reviews ish good! ^_^ Very good!  
  
This is vote #2 for letting Mr. Gice out!  
  
Tamara Raymond: Something tells me that you love this story! ^_^ You're welcome for mentioning you twice! I think I mentioned everybody twice because of the review response thing... But that's ok! It's good to mention people! Specially when they review lots! Mmkay, hope to see you around! This ish Vote #3 for Letting Mr. Gice out!  
  
Taby: Hiyz! Always nice to see a new reviewer! And a new FF.Net user as well! Welcome! ^_^ Thanks for adding me to your fav. author list! It is very much appreciated! ^_^ I'll be sure to go and read your fic! Here's the update you requested!  
  
Kate Ryou: Hiya! Another new reviewer! Yay! ^_^ I said this in the reveiw I did on your story, but to make it official, it's perfectly OK for you, and for anybody, to use the name Radley, or the Name Roo in your fics... Just as long as you mention me in the author note. BTW, you're welcome for the review! Again, here's the update!  
  
Pruningshears: Kaiba interlude? Okies! I'll do that this chappie! Bakura interlude? *Shrugs* Probably not... I tried to fit one in at your request, but it gives away waaaay too much of the story line... ^_^U Sorry.  
  
Also, sorry if my story had been giving away Battle city to everyone.Yes, the Mako crying thing WAS weird. He was upset because Joey destroyed his Fisherman card that, to Mako, represented his father. *Sigh* The Yu-Gi-Oh charas get SO emotional sometimes. ^_^  
  
You're welcome for the congratulations! Hope you update YOUR story soon too! And also hope your fruity pebbles get better! This ish vote #4 for letting Mr. Gice out!  
  
YugiPlushie: (NekoPlushie)Thankies for the compliments! Even if the last chapter took forever to get out and was still short. I put the little add ons in because it would be a very boring fic if I simply copied what the show did. The main point I'm trying to put forth is that the people who are recording everything using the FWC's keep editing stuff out. So in order to show that, I simply add stuff in! Hopefully, yes, it ends up looking ok. This ish Vote #5 for letting Mr. Gice out!  
  
Bakurakrazie: Nother new reviewer! yayz! ^_^ Glad you like the story! And the Mr. Gice thing!  
  
Serena Bunny: Dunt worry, your last review not make me sad... Just make me work harder! ^_^ Hopefully, this chapter will be better, (And longer) than my past few chappies... This is Vote #6 for letting Mr. Gice out! For your random question, Funny Bunny is not his nick name, it's the name of his favorite cartoon... If you want it to be a nickname for you, that's alright with me... I guess... Read on for the fic, Funny Bunny! ^_^  
  
bob: uuuuuh... Thanks?  
  
Darkmagic: I know a song that gets on everybody's nerves!!!!! ^_^ glad you liked the story!  
  
Livi: I'll update when I'm good and-... oh, jeesh! What's that SMELL???? *Looks around* Now how did THAT get in there?!?!?! Ew..... I apparently need to update more often... ^_^U  
  
Ethelflaed: ^_^ Hope you get all the way up here to chapter 27 to be able to read this! See ya when you do! Thanks for the review! And Sarcastic Wolf, Cool is a cool word!!!! ^_^ Except that I'm not allowed to use it while talking with Serena Bunny. It is a forbidden word... But it's still cool! ^_^  
  
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That's all of the reviews! Ok, the votes are in! It's zero to six! Gee, I wonder if Mr. Gice is getting out of the nuthouse this time around! ^_^ Alrighty, here's the fic!  
  
**************************************************************************** *****  
  
{Daricio}  
  
When Daricio got home from school, she was totally exhausted.  
  
(A.N Gee, that happens alot in here... my charas get tired easily... hmmmm....)  
  
Dumping off her school stuff in the closet and racing up the stairs to her room, she went over the events of the day in her head.  
  
First, it was just talk. Everyone in her class felt that they absolutely had to talk about it... From there, everything just got worse...  
  
Talk turned almost immediately to Gossip the moment class got out. Daricio couldn't take one step without hearing somebody comment on it.  
  
Then, certain news began to leak out, and the black gossip transformed to deadly rumors.  
  
Somebody had discovered that Chris wasn't at school that day. Or that whole last week. The crowd's translation? Daricio had knocked him into a coma, totally beating him up.  
  
It was found that Daricio also hadn't been there the whole week. The crowd's translation? Daricio had knocked Chris into a coma, totally beating him up, and she had either been suspended from school, or had been skipping to avoid punishment and to lower everyone's suspicions.  
  
Then, the worst part of all. They suddenly knew that the fight had occurred because of a Yu-Gi-Oh duel. The crowd's translation? Daricio Beat Chris to a bloody pulp, she had been suspended from school and/or had been skipping, and she regularly beat up everybody she dueled against! If she won, she beat them up as a punishment for losing. If they won, she'd beat them up for beating her.  
  
Finally, the rumors got so out of control, that by the time it was time for Daricio to go to lunch, nobody would even let her WATCH a duel, out of fear that she'd beat up the loser of the duel! Nobody wanted to duel her, trade with her, and she was, very basically, shunned from Yu-Gi-Oh for the day. Probably the week, too, depending on how long these rumors lasted. She hoped it would be less than a month....  
  
//It was bad enough when I was the only girl in the Yu-Gi-Oh corner. now I can't even be that.// Daricio sighed, flopping on her bed and staring at the ceiling. She had spent her lunch in the library, pretending to read a book while really watching Tea drag Yami around to random places in Domino.  
  
She grinned suddenly, her worries temporarily erased as she remembered some of the interesting places Tea had taken Yami to so far. She had taken him to the nearby amusement park, to the roller skating park, to that one card trading shop, (Yami's choice of course) to the library, and was now currently showing him around the mall.  
  
The amusement park was interesting, as Tea had bought Yami cotten candy. Yami had never had cotten candy before. It was very messy. Especially on the ferris wheel...  
  
//Dropping cotten candy on the ride operator's head from about fifty feet up is not a good idea.// Daricio remembered, still grinning at the ceiling. Then there was the indoor skating park...  
  
~*~*~ Flashback ~*~*~  
  
They entered the dimly lit building and everyone looked around. Basically, it was a building in which you could rent skates and skate around the skating ring in circles while music played. There was also a snack bar, but it was, very wisely, avoided. Apparently, Tea didn't think Yami would like Icees.  
  
The skating was, in itself, an adventure. Yami lost his balance several times, sprawling onto the ring and causing the people behind him to swerve out of the way and/or crash into him. At one point it was Tea who was skating behind him when he fell over, then she tripped over him, then the person behind her fell over her, and the person behind him fell over him, and the person behind him... well, you get it. It took a good ten minutes for everyone to get back up again.  
  
After watching them skate for about an hour, Daricio suddenly desperetly wanted to get away from school for a while and skate with them.  
  
//Can I PLEASE get out of this boring, annoying, stupid history class and go skating?// She asked Yugi, putting her pencil down and rubbing her hand, which was starting to get sore from scribbling down about a hundred notes about Aisa.  
  
//I don't think that would be a very good idea... skating around in a temporary physical form... First off, you'd be slightly invisible... Also, what if somebody runs into you? They'd go through you, and then where would we be? And Tea knows who you are, and then she'd know that we're watching all this!// Yugi said, watching as Yami ventured out onto the skating rink for another try. //I know, I want to skate too, but...//  
  
Daricio simply shrugged. Then she grinned again as Yami took down a few more people with a spectacular, flailing fall.  
  
In the middle of the skating time, the bell rang again, and Daricio had to move to her next class. She did so grudgingly, trying her best to ignore the people who were going way out of their way to avoid her in the halls and whispering about her by focusing on what Yami was doing.  
  
Soon, though, the skating time was over. Tea and Yami went shakily over to a bench to take off their skates and get their shoes back. Then they walked out of the skate park. Very quickly, actually.  
  
"Wow... I can still walk." Yami muttered, swaying back and forth slightly.  
  
//You know, I think that's exactly what I thought when I first went skating.// Yugi said. He and Daricio laughed.  
  
They began walking down the street. Tea was looking from one side of the street to the other eagerly, searching out some great adventure for them to go on.  
  
"Hey, look at this!" Yami suddenly spoken up. "It's a place where you can trade duel monster cards!"  
  
His voice was filled with relief at the prospect of something normal to do. Tea stopped and a grin filled her face once more.  
  
"Great! We can go there next!" She cried, then ran inside. Yami followed, a smile forming on his face for the first time that afternoon.  
  
Daricio hadn't caught what had happened next, because suddenly...  
  
"Daricio Jonesy! Are you listening to me?!?!?!"  
  
"Yes, Ma'am! erm, I mean, of course I am!" Daricio said, looking up quickly.  
  
Several whispers and giggles came from the back of the room which were stiffled quickly when the teacher glanced in that direction. Then she looked back at Daricio.  
  
"Good! Then you'll know that I just called on you to answer the twentieth question on the worksheet I just handed out!" The teacher said, an evil grin on her face.  
  
Daricio looked down at her desk in surprise. "Problem what?" She asked weakly.  
  
"Problem twenty." The teacher said, sounding joyful that she had caught a student not paying attention.  
  
"Are we doing all these together as a class?" Daricio asked hopefully.  
  
"No, this is Friday's homework. We're correcting it. I assume you have it completed? Or did Somebody not do their assigned homework?" She grinned malevolently.  
  
Daricio looked nervous. //Homework? Why don't I remember getting any homework in this class? This is the class that usually doesn't get homework, when did we get homework?// her thoughts raced frantically. //Homework, homework...//  
  
"What?" she asked meekly.  
  
The teacher rubbed her temples. "Homework, Daricio. Did you do your homework, or didn't you?"  
  
A student on the other side of the classroom raised her hand. "Ma'am?" She asked.  
  
The teacher swooped on her. "What is it, Kathren?"  
  
"Daricio wasn't here Friday." She supplied helpfully. "And it's Kathy, not Kathren."  
  
Daricio sighed in relief. That's right... Duh....  
  
"Oh... So she wasn't." The teacher said disappointedly, looking at her roll chart. "Ah well. Sheryl, will you answer the question then?"  
  
Daricio tried hard to pay attention to the lesson after that... but... What Yami and Tea were doing was SO much more fun than this...  
  
~*~*~ End of Flashback ~*~*~  
  
Daricio sighed and looked up at the ceiling again. She had gotten herself into trouble for daydreaming at least two more times before the end of the day...  
  
Right at the moment, Tea was showing Yami around the mall...  
  
//I didn't know that Domino had such a big mall..// She thought to herself.  
  
//It's not really that big...// Yugi said.  
  
//What, 100 different stores not big enough for you?//  
  
//No.... It's just that...// Yugi grinned slightly. //The only store I go to when I go here is the arcade.//  
  
//Oh. What kind of stuff is at the arcade?//  
  
//You'll see. Tea is almost there... as soon as she gets done trying to get Yami to try on some of the clothes in this shop, the next one is the arcade... That'll be more fun than this.//  
  
Daricio grinned. //Tea's trying to get Yami to try on clothes?//  
  
//Hey, it's better than when she checked out a half a ton of books at the library... She had to go and drop them all off at her house before they could do anything else!//  
  
Daricio laughed. //Yeah... I didn't know that there WERE that many books about baby animals... sheesh!//  
  
//So what have you been doing while all this was going on?// Yugi asked her. //Just sitting around?//  
  
//No. Unlike you, I had to go to school, remember?//  
  
//Well, yeah, but I meant when school was over!//  
  
Daricio looked at her clock. It was 3:30! School had been out for over an hour! Time goes by too fast..  
  
//I guess I HAVE been just sitting here...// She admitted.  
  
//I thought so. Thinking about what?//  
  
//Nothin much... What about you? What have you been doing all today?//  
  
//Watching you go to school and feeling happy that I don't have to.//  
  
//That's not very nice.//  
  
//And?//  
  
//Never mind.//  
  
There was a pause. Then, //They're going to the arcade now... Wanna watch?//  
  
//Ok.//  
  
Daricio looked around the room briefly, checking for poeple, then closed her eyes, going into her soul room. Once there, she opened the door between the two soul rooms and stepped about halfway through so that she could see what was happening. The link was getting shorter... the rooms were only about 5 feet apart now...  
  
Yami took a few steps into the arcade room and looked around. "What's this?" he asked.  
  
"This is the arcade! It has a ton of really cool games and stuff in it, it's really fun!" Tea said.  
  
"Oh. What kind of games?"  
  
"Like. well, come on! I'll show you!" Tea went over to one of the games. "This is."  
  
She began explaining some of the rules to the game. Yami looked it over. It was, from what he could see, a fairly small black box with weird looking pictures on the front, and a small screen.  
  
When Tea was done explaining, she said, "Wanna try it?"  
  
He shook his head. "Not really..."  
  
"Ok, we'll find a different one, then." Tea looked around the small arcade room, looking for a game she thought Yami might like. After a few seconds, she grinned.  
  
"There's a bigger arcade downtown! They have sooo many cool games and stuff!" Tea exclaimed. She turned on her heel and walked out of the arcade, heading for the mall's exit doors.  
  
Yami sighed, then followed her. He was beginning to think that just simply going to that museum would be better than This... At least then he would get some questions answered... here, he was just wasting everyone's time and getting tired...  
  
Tea walked briskly down the street, occationally looking backwards to make sure that Yami was keeping up with her.  
  
He was, so she maintained her fast pace.  
  
Soon they reached their destination: A huge building with big windows all around. Around the back was a balcony over-looking the water and inside, Yami could see a huge ton of the little black boxes, as well as many other colored boxes and some things that weren't even box shaped!  
  
"This is... interesting." Yami commented as they walked inside.  
  
Daricio gaped at it. It was huge! Not even the whole mall near her house was as big as this! //Wow.//  
  
Yugi nodded, grinning. //Yup. This is not just an arcade. This is the arcade.//  
  
Daricio nodded silently, mouth still hanging open slightly. //Wow.// she said again.  
  
Tea skipped down one of the aisles, heading for her personal favorite game: The dance.  
  
There was a man playing on it already, and he was beating his opponant badly. Tea watched with interest. She liked dancing, but sometimes, especially with someone as good as this, it was fun just to watch.  
  
The song ended, and the man stood triumphant, while the other boy stepped down off the platform, exausted.  
  
"That's all the exercise I need for today, thanks... I'm sticking to Pinball..." The boy muttered, heading back for the other games.  
  
Tea smiled sympethetically. She had played before and had lost... She knew how it felt... She looked up as the man announced, "Who wants the honor of being Jonny Step's next vitim?"  
  
Tea's smile turned to a grin. "Hey Yami, hold this for me!" She tossed her coat off and started up the steps.  
  
The coat landed in Yami's arms. "Tea, what are you doing?" he asked.  
  
"Dancing!"  
  
He sighed, then looked at the coat. //What am I, a coat rack now?// he wondered.  
  
//Yup.// Daricio laughed.  
  
"It's time to make some nooooise!!!!!" The computerized voice yelled out. Then game began.  
  
***************************************************************  
  
(Yadda yadda yadda, we all know what happened next. ^_^ I'm switching to Mr. Gice interlude now.)  
  
{Interlude: Mr. Gice} (Int that what I just said? *Nods to self*)  
  
There! He had two fully assembled Electromagnetic Magneisium-carbohydrate strips, and fifteen snappers.  
  
And he still had some extra parts from the camera! Not enough to make another full strip, but he could probably figure out how to do something with it...  
  
He stuffed all of his things into a pocket of his white lab coat and checked his watch. Perfect timing! The guards were just shifting duty. He took out his card and slid it through, opening the door once again.  
  
He looked out into the hallway, then nodded. The coast was clear. Just as it should be.  
  
He strode out. He went around the corner... and immedietly ran into somebody. Both him and the other person pulled back, each thinking it was a guard that they had run into. After a few seconds, they both realized that it was a fellow jailbreaker.  
  
"Hello." Mr. Gice said cheerily.  
  
"Thanks alot for scaring me half to death." The other person said, glaring at him.  
  
"And vice versa. What's your plan of escape for tonight?"  
  
"Window. Yours?"  
  
"Front door."  
  
The man looked startled. "The front door?!?! Are you nuts?!?!?"  
  
"That's a stupid question to ask in a mental hospital."  
  
The other guy shook his head. "Fine, whatever. You go your way, I'll go mine. We'll just see who gets outta here tonight."  
  
"Name?"  
  
"Jay."  
  
"Thomas."  
  
"Nice to meet you."  
  
"Vice versa."  
  
"Goodbye."  
  
"Vice versa."  
  
They went seperate ways down the halls.  
  
Mr. Gice wasn't planning on going out through the front door, of course. He was just being funny. He headed for the air vents. He was almost there, when he suddenly realized something... Window......  
  
He did some quick calculations, then stopped, quickly pulling himself into the nearest open door and closing it. He pressed himself up against a wall, trying not to be seen.  
  
"Ten... nine... eight.... seven... six... five... four... three..... two.... one.... " Mr Gice counted downward, whispering.  
  
The alarms went off right as he whispered "zero".  
  
Mr. Gice looked out the window in the room just in time to see Jay fall out of a nearby window, (Opening the window sets off the alarms) and suddenly go sprinting across the grass. He reached the outer fence and grabbed ahold of it, preparing to vault...  
  
ZAAAP!!!!!!!!  
  
Jay collapsed on the grass, and the guards caught up to him and dragged him back into the building. Mr. Gice blinked. He had forgotten about the Electromagnetic Magnesium-Carbohydrate strips that Seto had stuck to the fence!  
  
He wasn't going to be able to get out that way, then... So how else would he be able to get out? He grinned. The front door, of course. Just like he had told Jay...  
  
He looked around him, trying to figure out what room he was in. After a while, his grin got even bigger. He was in the electrical room.  
  
He walked around, and pressed a button. All the lights shut off. He pressed another button. The alarm systems shut down. Then he took the leftover parts out of his pocket and began attatching them to different parts of the systems, creating a sort of robot out of the whole thing.  
  
He walked out of the room and watched as all the doors down the aisle began to open by themselves. He had programed them to do that. He smiled.  
  
Soon, people began poking their heads out, trying to figure out what was going on.  
  
"Now, to tell them what to do." He muttered to himself. He turned and jogged back inside the electrical room and triggered the PA System. "ALRIGHT EVERYBODY, LET'S GO!!!!!! WE'RE GETTING OUTTA HERE!!!!!!!!!!!!"  
  
With that, all the people, following Mr. Gice, ran towards the front exit as fast as possible.  
  
Mr. Gice grinned as he ran. Why hadn't he thought of this before? Sure, the guards could catch one person running away, or two or three, but they wouldn't be able to catch all 170 of the occupants of the nuthouse when they all tried to get out at once!  
  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
  
The front guard sat drinking coffee and watching the front door lazily. Nobody ever tried to get out that way... he had the easiest job here!  
  
He smiled in contentment. He got paid well for it, too.  
  
Yup, life was good... That an-  
  
What was that?  
  
He sat up in his chair and peered down the hallway, setting his coffee down on his desk.  
  
Suddenly, the ground began to rumble. He looked nervously out the dark window. No, everything out there was stable... This wasn't an earthquake... Than what could it be?  
  
As he watched, everything began to rumble. The walls, the desk, the few pictures on the walls. His cup rattled for a while before falling off the desk and shattering on the floor, splashing coffee everywhere.  
  
He got up quickly. "What the?" he said aloud. "What's going on here?"  
  
He looked up from the spilled coffee, and got his answer. "Ooooohh shoot."  
  
He turned and began to run from the stampeding crowd, but it was too late. Within minutes, the front door was jammed with people, all trying to get out at the same time, and the guard lay stunned on the ground.  
  
After the main part of the crowd had passed by above him, he sat up, groaning. Suddenly...  
  
"Birdie! Fly! Fly!" A very large man suddenly attempted to take flight out the door, but missed, not being able to stay suspended in the air for more than a few seconds and landed heavily on the floor, creating a big dent in it. Then the man got up from his dent and raced out the door with everyone else, giggling.  
  
The guard sat up slightly from where he was lying, dazed on the floor. For some reason, he had been sitting in the dent as well! He collapsed again and decided it would be easier and less painful to simply lie there.  
  
(A/N Ouch... ^_^)  
  
Ten minutes later, when all of the noise had passed by him and everything in the room was silent, the guard looked up slowly, trying not to injure his back any further.  
  
In his sight was...  
  
The one person he had been assigned to watch. Mr. Gice.  
  
"Gice!" He yelled, wincing in pain.  
  
"Yes?"  
  
The guard groaned. "You... You'll pay for this!"  
  
Mr. Gice shrugged and went out the front door.  
  
"Wait!" Jay ran down the hallway toward the door. He ran past the injured guard. Or at least he tried to... The guard used his last bit of energy to reach out and grab him by the ankle.  
  
"You're not going anywhere." The guard rasped. He reached down and pressed a button on his vest pocket. The front doors slammed shut and the security bars went down.  
  
Jay stared at the doors in wonder. Caught twice in one night, and that idiot Mr. Gice had gotten out, while he hadn't! And he did it by going out the stupid front door, too!  
  
He sighed, then walked sadly down the deserted hallway back toward his abandoned cell, pulling his leg out of the feeble grip of the front guard, who then cried out in pain as his arm was suddenly almost ripped off.  
  
Stupid Mr. Gice... He'd pay someday...  
  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
  
Mr. Gice grinned again as he practically flew out the front gate and up the street.  
  
FRREEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE EEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEDDDDDDDOOOOOOOOOOOOMMM MMM!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!  
  
(A/N Hey Mojobubbles! Sound familiar?)  
  
He ran down the street, heading off in the direction of his laboratory, about 2.8 miles away.  
  
2.799  
  
2.798  
  
2.797  
  
2.796  
  
2.795  
  
2.794  
  
Ok, this was going to take a while, and now he was tired of running.  
  
He stopped and sat down on the sidewalk, watching the cars go by and smiling slightly at the strange looks he got from drivers who weren't used to seeing short people in white lab coats sitting by the side of the road watching cars go by. Normal people are SO one-dimensional...  
  
Suddenly, he realized that a lot of the cars that were going by were yellow... In fact, he thought quickly, about 23.26% of them were yellow at this point...  
  
He stood up, looking around, trying to figure out what was going on. On a normal day, only about 14.2% of the cars that went by around here were yellow. Most of the cars around here were blue... 42% of them, in fact... occationally a red one would go by...  
  
But yellow?  
  
Why yellow?  
  
What kinds of cars were yellow? Oh, right.  
  
"Taxi!!!!" He yelled. One of the yellow cars pulled over to him. He grinned and got in.  
  
"Where to?" the driver asked, turning around in his seat slightly.  
  
"Take me to 5826 Slivence Blv." Mr. Gice directed.  
  
"Yes sir!" The taxi took off.  
  
**************************************************************************** **  
  
{Kaiba}  
  
Seto had sent the e-mail to the people he had chosen at that time, but there was still one more very crucial thing that he had to do before the tournament could begin. Testing.  
  
The main testing would be tonight, right now before he went in front of the people to talk to them, but he knew he wouldn't be entirely ready until about a week from now...  
  
Tournaments were hard to set up, especially when you had to bribe teachers and principals into shutting down school for the week that Battle City would take place in.  
  
"Seto, if you try this, you really are crazy!" Mokuba yelled through the communicator to his older brother who was, at the moment, down in his testing stadium trying out his new duel disk systems and the God Card he had just been given.  
  
Seto winced, shaken out of his thoughts. "Don't SAY that." He muttered.  
  
"Sorry." Sitting way up high in the box above the stadium, Mokuba didn't look sorry at all. Seto sighed.  
  
"Besides, I have to do this, Mokuba. I have to test out the duel disk systems to make sure that they're ready for Battle City, and I also need to know if this God Card is really as strong as Ishizu claimed that it was." Seto explained calmly. "And besides, it's not THAT dangerous. It's just my duel disk system."  
  
Mokuba sighed. "He's underestimating the power of exploding machinery." He muttered softly, so his older brother wouldn't hear him. The operator sitting next to him nodded. Kaiba turned and glared at the machine across from him, scowling.  
  
"Start the duel." he growled. Immediately, the machinery started up.  
  
He knew perfectly well that the computer was armed with the deck that he had used during duelist kingdom, including copies he made of his three Blue Eyes, but that would be perfectly all right. The decks used there were composed of mainly high level monsters, and almost no low level, because there were no tribute rules. Now, with this duel, there were tribute rules because of his new Battle City rules. Even if the computer was at the highest level, which it was, it most likely wouldn't be able to get any monsters out on the field.  
  
His so called high tech scientists might be worried, but he definitely wasn't. Especially if he was able to get his new 'All powerful' God Card out on the field.  
  
"Draw five cards to start..... Draw one card for turn... Processing... Set one card in defense mode.... End turn..." The computer informed him.  
  
Seto blinked. Who told it that it was ITS turn? He shrugged and drew his first cards. Stupid machine.  
  
(A/N: Must be a Microsoft product...)  
  
He looked at the cards. Perfect. He already had the Oblisk card. Now he just needed to be able to get enough monsters out to tribute for it.  
  
"Hmm. I play one card face down, and Battle Ox in attack mode! Battle Ox! Destroy his face down card!" Seto said confidently.  
  
The Battle Ox raced towards the card. The monster appeared, shimmering slightly. A Cyber Jar.  
  
"No! Not a Cyber Jar!" Seto growled in frustration.  
  
"Cyber Jar special effect. Destroy all monsters on field." The computer said, stating the rules. The Battle Ox and the Cyber jar both shattered. "Special effect number two. Summon up to five monsters onto field... Processing. Set two monsters onto field."  
  
"Hmm. I summon four monsters to the field!" Seto announced, grinning.  
  
"What a digital dummy!' He heard Mokuba over the communicator. "It just gave you the upper hand!"  
  
"Draw card for turn... Processing... Analyzing new Battle City rules... Sacrifice two face down monsters for Blue Eyes White Dragon in attack mode."  
  
Seto stared as the computer's face down monsters appeared briefly, a Wall of Illusion and a Aqua Madoor, then they disappeared in a flash of light and one of his own Blue-Eyes appeared, ready to take him down.  
  
"Opponant has one card face down. End turn."  
  
His worried look faded. It was afraid of his face down! He drew his next card, then grinned. Never mind that there was a Blue Eyes on the field, he could simply take it out with one shot. A flip effect.  
  
"One card in defense mode." he stated. "Then I'll end my turn as well."  
  
"Draw one card... Processing.... Summon Lord of Dragons in attack mode."  
  
"What?" Seto frowned. That ruined his flip effect idea...  
  
"Play Flute of Summoning Dragon. Effect: Special Summon two dragons from hand onto feild... Summon two Blue Eyes White Dragons."  
  
"No!!! That's impossible!" Seto stared. The only thing left was...  
  
"Play magic card, Polmerization. Combine three Blue Eyes White Dragons for Blue Eyes Ultimate Dragon."  
  
Seto watched in shock as the Ultimate Dragon took shape on the feild.  
  
"Fusion monster cannot attack on same turn it was summoned. Must end turn."  
  
Well, thank goodness for that at least.  
  
His communicator was going crazy! It sounded almost like static... He looked up at the box where everyone was. Nope, not static. everybody was running around, trying to do a bunch of analyzations and other useless junk.  
  
"Shut it down! Shut it down now! Seto's gunna get hurt!" he heard Mokuba shout over everybody.  
  
"No." he yelled. The fierce, three headed dragon roared at him. He grinned. "This is just perfect."  
  
This must have been how Yugi had felt when he was up against the huge dragon... This must be exactly how he had felt...  
  
No wonder he had acted so confident... This was nothing at all....  
  
But even through that, he hadn't actually been able to fully destroy the beast. He had come very close, and it was only his slight manipulation that had saved his dragon's life. And now, he was going to be able to do the thing that Yugi hadn't. Slay the Dragon!  
  
"I'll sacrifice three of my monsters to bring out Oblisk, the Tormenter!" Seto announced, sweeping the cards from the field of his duel disk, putting them in the graveyard slot, and slapping Oblisk down.  
  
The holograms on the field did exactly the same, in their own way: Two of the monsters faded with a flash of bright white light, and the huge head of Oblisk began to come up.  
  
"Now I'll sacrifice my other two monsters to boost Oblisk's power! Now you'll learn why he's called The Tormenter!" Seto smirked.  
  
(A/N Random question: How did he know that he could do that? The cards there have no directions on them...)  
  
Oblisk grabbed ahold of the two remaining monsters and began to drain the energy from them. The holographic box showing it's stats reappeared and the points bagan to get higher.  
  
"Woah..." he heard Mokuba breathe. "It's humungous!"  
  
"It's attack points are-" one of his scientists began. Seto heard a slight explosion, then the communicator erupted into static.  
  
"Stupid thing... Power circit overload becuase of my God Card getting too many attack points?" he shook his head, taking off the communicator as he did. He threw it to the ground. Oh well, he didn't need to talk to his scientists to play a duel. He'd win this on his own.  
  
(A/N Must be another Microsoft Product...)  
  
"Now, Oblisk! Attack!!!" Seto shouted. The giant monster rocked forward slightly, so big that he didn't even have to take a step! "Fist of Fate!!!"  
  
(A/N: Again, how'd he know that? How do any of the people know what the cards' attacks are called? Where'd Yugi come up with "Dark Magic Attack!" "Neutron Blast!"and how'd Kaiba come up with, "White Lightning Attack!" and "Fist of Fate!" and how'd Joey come up with, "Noxious Nostril Gust!" ?!?!?!?! *Shrugs*)  
  
Oblisk didn't even hesitate. He drew back his fist, white looking power surged from it, and he lit into the Ultimate Dragon.  
  
It must have only taken a few seconds, but time seemed to have slowed down. Oblisk neared the Dragon... The Dragon started to roar... It began to fight back... The attack might not work, Ishizu might have been wrong... Oblisk's hand ripped slowly through the Dragon, until it finally shattered into a million pieces, traveling the distance to the Graveyard.  
  
Seto stared for a moment, then grinned. "Great." he said to himself. He picked up the Oblisk card from his Duel Disk and stared at it. As he did so, Oblisk faded from the Hologram Field. "This is the most powerful card I'v-"  
  
He looked up as his dueling machine began flashing warnings and yelling at the top of it's lungs. (Wait... NM...) "Warning! Warning! System Overload! System Overload!"  
  
It exploded.  
  
Seto frowned at it. He'd have to fix that little bug in the system... The Duel Disk systems were NOT supposed to blow up when the duel was over...  
  
(A/N: Bad Microsoft! Bad! Bad!)  
  
He looked back down at his new treasure. This would win his tournament, and his champion title, back to him, along with his dignity.  
  
Now Yugi would be able to see just what a great duelist he really was... And this time.... He wouldn't go easy on him...  
  
He turned and walked over to the wall, stepping over some random pieces of machinary that had flown over from the explosion, and activated the panel on the wall.  
  
The door revealed itself and opened. Seto walked through it and up the hallways, thinking. He still had so much stuff he had to do before the Tournament could officially begin...  
  
He shoud probably expect to start it sometime next week. And with this Oblisk card, he'd be sure to win it as well.  
  
Mokuba suddenly came running up the corridor and ran himself full force into his older brother, hugging him.  
  
"Seto, I was scared... But that was cool!" He looked up into the suddenly softened eyes of Seto, grinning.  
  
"I know." he said. But he felt a sense of pride, knowing his brother could still look up to him when he needed to. He'd always be there for him...  
  
"Come on, Seto!" Mokuba grabbed his brother's hand and began leading him down the hallway, even though he didn't need to be led. Seto went along anyway. "We gotta do that speech thing now... People are out there already, see?"  
  
Seto looked down, noticing for the first time a digital screen on his brother's hand, strapped on like a watch. It was showing a crowd of people waiting outside.  
  
Seto nodded. "Alright, Mokuba. Let's go."  
  
He strode forward, now leading his brother along behind him.  
  
"Hey!" Mokuba said, now suddenly able to take tremendous leaps with each step because of Seto pullling him along. "Seto!"  
  
Seto grinned and chuckled. Then he slowed down a little so that his brother could keep up with him.  
  
Everything was going good so far. Now he just had to do his speech. If Yugi was there, the night would be perfect.  
  
The two Kaiba brothers finally reached the outside spot where the helicopter was going to pick them up. It was already waiting for them, the test duel, short as it was, having taken up more time than had been expected. He'd have to begin his presentation in the copter if he wanted to get done before 8:30...  
  
Seto turned to Mokuba. "You stay here and make sure my workers don't slack off, alright Mokuba?" He said, smiling. "You know how lazy those twerps can be."  
  
Mokuba nodded, still grinning widely. "You bet, Seto!"  
  
He turned rapidly and skipped from the helicopter pad back into the building.  
  
Seto turned back to the helicopter and got inside, activating the switches for the cameras while he did so.  
  
He could see, aways off, that the screens on the sides of the buildings started to light up. The helicopter lifted off the pad, and Seto began to speak.  
  
"Welcome, duelists, to the city of Domino." he began, looking confident.  
  
//I'll be your host, Seto Kaiba!!!// He thought, mentally smirking. He shook the thought away. He had to stay focused!  
  
"I see you all received my invitation, and I'm glad that you could come."  
  
//Sort of...//  
  
"My new tournament that I am starting withing the next week, Battle City, is going to be fierce. It's going to be big. This is going to make Pegasus's great Duelest Kingdom look like a Joke."  
  
He said the word "great" sarcastically.  
  
He was close enough to the crowd now that he could hear their cheering as he made this comment. They were pleased.  
  
"I strongly suggest that you start toughening up your decks and sharpening your skills, or you'll be taken down, and your rare cards with you!" Seto paused, then commented, "For you see, part of my new Battle City rules... The loser has to forfeit his rarest card to the winner!"  
  
The helicopter neared the ground. The trees and signs here and there began blowing around fiercely. Seto took this as his cue and stepped one foot out onto the railing of the copter, making sure the camera kept trained on him as he did so, and swung outward.  
  
"Kaiba! It's Kaiba! Look! Kaiba!" The crowd began murmuring loudly to themselves and each other.  
  
Seto looked out over the crowd, searching. Where was he? Was he not here? Did he not-  
  
Suddenly, he found himself staring into the eyes of the exact person he was looking for. His hair was being blown around by the helicopter wildly, but he kept his purple eyes firmly trained on his darker ones. Yugi.  
  
He smirked.  
  
//So the runt got my invite, after all...//  
  
He began speaking once again, now that the crowd's whisperings had gone down to a minimum. "Go to my registration office, and all of you here who got one of my invites will be allowed to join up and will be able to get one of my Duel Disk systems."  
  
He held his up, still on his arm from his test duel, for everybody to see. They all were enraptured by it. Crowds were so easily amused...  
  
"Anyone else is allowed to join up as well, but only if their pathetic skill levels qualify for the privalage. I myself will be joining the fun in the tournament, putting up my Blue Eyes!" He held up one of his three Blue Eyes.  
  
Actually, one of his copies... He wasn't so dumb that he'd bring one of hs real Blue Eyes with him on a helicopter ride where it could get blown away...  
  
And losing a copy wasn't a big deal. It was easy to tell which were fake anyway. He hadn't engineered his fakes so that you couldn't tell which was real and which wasn't. He had marked them specially on their backs with his, "Not a real card, not worth anything." stamps.  
  
He looked over the crowd one last time. They seemed to have realized that he was about done, so there was no real point in continuing his speech much longer.  
  
"If you have any courage at all, join up. If not..." he let the sentance hang.  
  
He made eye contact with Yugi again, and Yugi nodded firmly. Seto knew he'd join it.  
  
He didn't know why Yugi would join... He had only joined the last one for his Grandfather, he knew, but this time there was no motivation... None that he could see, at any rate.  
  
This just meant that Yugi was more than just morals and goody-two shoes stuff, he supposed. That was good. He was getting tired of all that...  
  
He nodded quickly and curtly back, then climbed back inside the helicopter and shut down his cameras.  
  
All but one....  
  
And that one... Would never shut off.... Because it wasn't his.... But it was trained intently on him all the same... Watching his every move...  
  
****************************************************************************  
  
Again, I was going to do more, but then I realized I need to update, or peoples will strangle me... ^_^U  
  
On a lighter note, ONLY ONE WEEK AND SIX DAYS UNTIL SUMMER VACATION FOR MEEEEEEE!!!!!!!!!!!! ^_^  
  
YAYZ!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!  
  
Alright, I must update now....  
  
Or maybe I could just say one more thing before I go... *Random bush gets thrown at her* AAAAH! *Ducks*  
  
*While ducking, falls out of chair*  
  
Ooooww... Dern thing...  
  
*Shoes get thrown*  
  
O.O Ahh! *Ducks again* Alright! Alright! I'm updating already! Sheesh! ^_^  
  
See ya next chappie! (Hopefully up within the next few weeks or so...)  
  
Byez!  
  
--Daricio 


	28. Joey's Missing, and I'm getting EXTREMEL...

Hello! Hello!  
  
Welcome one and all!  
  
^_^  
  
(part of author note writen on 5/6/03)  
  
Well, hopefully, I'll be able to get this chapter up within a decent amount of time. No promises, though...  
  
Ok, well I'm working very hard at the moment... I've just gotten several new ideas for about three of my stories, and am now attempting to write all three of them at the same time... ^_^U Not really working, but oh well.  
  
The first part of this chapter... is interesting. It's actually a dream sequence, so it really doesn't make sense. I've been wanting to write a song fic type a thing into one of my stories, and the first part of this dream is based on the song, "These Dreams," by Heart. ^_^U The lyrics will be in these: [ ]  
  
***  
  
(5/7/03)  
  
Ok, some people have been wondering whether Marik/Malik is going to come into the story. The answer: Yes! Probably in this chappie or the next, Marik will make some appearances. Maybe I'll even have a Marik POV! (Not positive though... Might be in either this chappie or next chappie...)  
  
And actually, Marik was already introduced in the story because Daricio was talking to Yami about the Possesed Bandit Keith duel with Yugi... And she referred to him as Marik.  
  
Because of that, I'm keeping his name as Marik, like in the dub, but I dunt really like the name Ishizu, I'd rather have Isis, so she's going to be Isis. And I absouilutely REFUSE to call Rashid Odion, but I'll go ahead and consent and use Osiris's dub name, Slifer... (even though it's stupid too.) Yes, I'm mixing dub names and Japanese names, but who cares?  
  
(Random thought: Speaking of Ishizu, Wouldn't it be funny if Ishizu drove an Isuzu (A type of car)? ^_^ Ishizu in an Isuzu...)  
  
(Another Random Thought: Yu-Gi-Oh and Pokemons are trying to do mini- crossovers in the shows... XD... In Yu-Gi-Oh, the little boy who runs into Serenity's Hospital room cuz he's scared, has the SAME voice as Ash! And in Pokemon, Cassidy, one of the Team Rocket people, has the SAME voice as Mai! That'd be a strange fic idea... Crossover Yu-Gi-Oh and Pokemon in which the people who's voices are identical meet...)  
  
***  
  
(6/19/03)  
  
Ok, Honestly, I'm sorry that this chappie took so long to get out... ^_^U  
  
First off, it's been taking me longer to write this than I thought it was going to... I kept running into writers blocks due to writing myself into corners and ending up contridicting myself becuase of that dern Dream Sequence... ^_^U  
  
But I think that's all settled out now...  
  
The other problem is that We've been having a ton of computer problems...  
  
The hard drive on one of my computers totally crashed, causing me to have to start everything on it, my newspaper route money calculations, story chapters, etc. etc. etc., all over again. X_X  
  
Plus, my other computer, (which I have been using while my other one is getting a new hard drive installed) keeps loosing it's Internet access... AIM shuts down unexpectedly, E-mail goes out, I suddenly can't get to Fanfiction.net, or any other website, etc...  
  
And other random things, such as It won't let me do more than 10 things at once or it hangs... Especially when two or three of those things are movie clips or sound clips... ^_^U So THAT keeps making me shut down the coputer w/o saving, thereby making me lose whatever I had just written...  
  
SETO KAIBA!!!!! CAN YOU GET ME A NEW COMPUTER?!?!?!?!!?!?!?!?!?!  
  
Seto: -_- No.  
  
Dern... It was worth a try... ^_^U  
  
***  
  
(6/20/03)  
  
Heeeeeere glassies glassies glassies..... *sigh* Cant find my glasses, they've been missing for about a week now... *rolls eyes* and they refuse to come when I call them! *is frustrated* HERE GLASSIES GLASIES GLASSIES!!!!!!!!!  
  
***  
  
(6/24/03)  
  
Well, It's happened..... I've been abandoned...  
  
No, just kidding. My parents went on vacation last Saturday, (the 21) to Hawaii, leaving my brothers, sister, and me with my dear lovely Grandma...  
  
Not that I don't LIKE my grandma, she's just simply hard to live with at times... Neat freak, perfectionist, etc. etc. etc.  
  
But you won't hear any complaints from me, nuh uh. (yeah right.) But the point is, from here until... *calculates* about 7/2/03, I won't be updating very fast, as my grandmother disapproves me staying on the computer all the time whilst my "social life dwindles away and you destroy bridges that lead from you to others..." and other such things... *rolls eyes*  
  
I have friends, you just can't see them!!! (they're digital! ^_^U)  
  
But anyway, on a lighter note, *clears throat* I GOT THE NEW HARRY POTTER BOOK I GOT THE NEW HARRY POTTER BOOK I GOT THE NEW HARRY POTTER BOOK!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! ^_____________________________________________________________^  
  
It is sooooooooo cool, but they really shouldn't have killed- I mean... *for those of you who do not want story spoilers, look away* THEY KILLED SIRIUS!!!!!! Y O Y O Y O Y O Y?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?! *sigh*  
  
^_^U Sorry, I needed to get that out...  
  
It only took me three days to read the whole thing... (woulda taken less, but I was only allowed to read it for an extremely short amount of time Sunday and Monday becuase of.... things...) But I finished it today!  
  
Cool book, though strangely hard to get into... The beginning kind of drags on and on and on and Harry yells at people too much and- *realizes that people are staring at her waiting to read teh chapter and not wanting to hear her go on and on and on about some book she's read*  
  
Oh, sorry. ^_^U  
  
***  
  
(6/25/03)  
  
Gee, this is almost like keeping a journal... that everybody can read... ^_^U Sorry. This chappie's going to be kinda short... (if you don't include all these author notes...) sorry....................  
  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
  
{Review Responses!}(Almost all responses written on 5/6/03, but the ones nearest the bottom were probably written later...)  
  
Yuki-Mora: Glad you like it so far! ^_^ More to come!  
  
DMG: Not fair! You got out of school before me! At this moment, (it's a Saturday now) I still have four more days of school, (get out on Thursday) and that's not fair! Oh well.... School will be out or me soon enough, and then I will be Freeeeee!!!!! ^_^  
  
Anime26angel: Okies, i'll add more chappies! ^_^  
  
Kate Ryou: I think the anime charas need to see that book. XD I had lots of fun writing about that escape... I wuz going to make it longer, but it made it too drawn out and boring... So, yeah. ^_^ And, I wouldn't really call myself "Queen of Games" because I kinda suck at dueling... I keep losing... But I'm getting better, and I do own some rather rare cards! ^_^ Here's the new chappie you requested!  
  
Bakuracrazie: Yes, Kaiba is always like that... I've been kinda trying to get him to lighten up in my fic, not be quite so.... boring, repetitive, and stupid, and adding in a few of those little comments helped. ^_^ I had fun writing the stepping out scenes as well! ^_^ Yes, Mr. Gice is funny. Jay's not relaly evil, but he's not really good either... He's not going to appear in the story any more. I just wrote him in so that Mr. Gice could run into somebody, and so that he would be able to know that he couldn't go over the fence. ^_^ Yes, the people in my class (In the story anyway) are very evil. I was emphasizing how bad rumrs can be and how they can ruin people's lives... So anywhos... You're welcome for inadvertantly introducing you to HCG's ficcies!  
  
*To everyone: High Crystal Guardian's ficcies are GOOD! You should read them!  
  
The Perpetually Hyper One: Again, Yay! I'm doing something before you for once! (seeing as you're three hours ahead of me... -_- I might as well be a week ahead of you for summer. ) ^_^  
  
There are a lot of people on Yu-Gi-Oh that are fun to poke fun at. You could take any character, really, and poke fun at them...^_^  
  
Put the flamethrower down... *shakes head* You keep chasing the people in my story with pyrotechniques, you're going to tear down my sets! ^_^  
  
Thanks for reassuring me on that preppie thing. ^_^  
  
Devious-Duo: Yes, I finally updated! ^_^ And now I finally updated again! ^_^ FYI, I called it The Dance, becuase that particular game wasn't Dance Dance Revoulution, it was a rendition of it, but I didn't notice when they gave me the real name of it, which was "Super Dancer", so I made one up, and I wasn't feeling creative at that moment. Sorry! ^_^I made that last line all creepy and mysterious on purpose. Glad you're enjoying my story!  
  
*Official note to everyone: I MESSED UP ON THE NAME OF THE GAME TEA WAS PLAYING, I'M SORRY!!!! I called it, "The Dance," for some reason that I do not at this moment know, but it was REALLY a rendition of the game Dance Dance Revolution, which they called, "Super Dancer." Sorry bout this thing, back to the Review Responses:  
  
Serena Bunny: lol. Yes, Serena... Go write chappie... ^_^  
  
Taby: As mentioned above, it following the lines of Yu-Gi-Oh may be a problem, but it's fun nonetheless. Glad you enjoy it!  
  
Tamera Raymond: Thanks for the compliments and the reassuring about the whole preppie thing. I needed that. ^_^ Yes, the Mr. Gice thing was funny. I got the idea because I told DVD that I wuz going to let him out, and that he was going to take everyone but Jay with him, and he got the idea of someone trying to fly out and accidenlty landing on the guard... ^_^ It was fun!  
  
The Insane Otaku AKA Caterfree: Glad you like the ficcie! I dunno what Trigun is... ^_^U  
  
Artemis Sakura: Yup, he's Radley all right. Bakura likes to call him Roo, though. I actually had somebody figure out where I got that name from... It actually comes from the book "To Kill a Mocking Bird." One of the charas is Boo Radley. I changed that to Radley Bakurna, nicknamed Roo. ^_^ and yes, it IS funny, Radley! ^_^  
  
MikeNK: Thanks for adding me to your favorites! It's always good to know I've got fans... ^_^ Raises my self esteem tons...  
  
So, thanks for the encouragement! Read on for more fic! (well, duh... ^_^U)  
  
Ethelflead: *nods understandingly* I know how it is with those evil computers.... I keep telling people, they're trying to take over the world by driving us humans totally insane, but nobody listens to me... So I must keep going, typing on the evil things, warning those I can and hoping that others do not become as addicted as I am to them... ^_^ Me and my friends call them Eggs. You can too if you want. Honestly, it makes you feel better to scream, "STUPID EGG!!!!" or "EVIL EGG!!!" or, if you're mad at all computers in general, (like FF.net) you can scream, "EVIL EGGS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!"  
  
Thanks for the reassurance for the preppie thing as well!  
  
Here's the next chappie! Hope you have fun murdering eggs with that axe! ^_^ *evil grin*  
  
Nadeshiko-Nahari: Yes, I am a huge Yu-Gi-Oh fan. ^_^ Glad you like my story! Here's teh next bit of my story, as you requested!  
  
I looked at your story! It's pretty cool... Shiko seems kinda like a self insertion/Mary Sue to me... Fun! Turn yourself into a Mary Sue... ^_^ Very interesting story, in all!  
  
NekoPlushie: *winces under the glare* Sowwy... I never have been very good about getting my stories out quickly... and now with all these stories I'm writing, it's even worse, you know??? *realizes that she's babbling, trying to come up with excuses* Eh heh heh heh... ^_^U Sowwy. Read on for story!  
  
********************************************************************  
  
{Daricio}  
  
Daricio was standing at a tall mirror, gazing into it, smiling. She was dressed in a long white linen dress, something that she didn't do very often, as she usually hated wearing dresses.  
  
She picked up a small handheld candle, then turned away from the mirror and walked swiftly out onto the stone balcony of the mansion, leaning up against the railing. The full moon above shone upon the mist below, illuminating it, making it glow, and almost concealing the garden below her.  
  
["Spare a little candle, save some light for me...." "White skin... in Linen... perfume on my wrist. And the full moon that hangs o'er... these dreams in the mist..."]  
  
She had the faint thought that this was a dream... She didn't have mansions or balconies or candles...  
  
But soon she lost herself in the dream, letting her imagination soar...  
  
Suddenly, she was down below, the wind blowing against her face as she went running along a path towards the garden. She was getting closer, and now she could smell the flowers on the breeze. Ahead of her, a door. A stained glass wall....  
  
But the door wouldn't open, she knew, so she ran through it, into the garden.  
  
["I run without a cut, through a stained glass wall.."]  
  
Once inside, she stopped and looked around. But the garden was gone, replaced by a large feild of grass... The grass bent over, flowing almost like waves of the ocean, but Daricio couldn't feel the wind that tassled it's edges...  
  
She began walking, wandering around the feild. Around the edges of her vision, she could see darkness advancing... It must be getting close to night...  
  
The darkness began to seep into the landscape, transforming it slowly until... Suddenly, there were shadows.. Shadows of all kinds everywhere! Purple and blue. Grey, and the deepest black. One big mix. A single color of shadow. A whole new place.  
  
The last time Daricio had seen this place was in Yugi's soul room. The Shadow Realm... Now she was running... Time suddenly had no meaning...  
  
What time was it anyway? She looked at her watch. "What? What happened to my watch?"  
  
It suddenly had no hands... there was no way to tell what time it was...  
  
But whatever. Running. Running. She was chasing something, but she didn't know what it was. Running.  
  
To her right, she saw someone. One lone figure, standing off in the distance...  
  
But that darn mist was back again. Swirling around her, clouding the Shadow Realm...  
  
She couldn't see who was there... She could, but she couldn't. She knew they were there, but couldn't tell who it was... Couldn't even tell if it was a boy or a girl... Just a person... Standing there...  
  
"Hey!" she called, stopping. "Who are you? Can you come closer?"  
  
The person didn't respond, simply stepped backwards, fading into the mist... Daricio sighed in temporary frustration. But soon, the person was forgotten, and she was running again...  
  
["Darkness on the edges, shadows where I stand... I search for the time on a watch with no hands... I want to see you clearly. Come closer than this... but all I remember... are Dreams in the mist....]  
  
She ran and ran and ran....  
  
Suddenly, she stopped, peering into the distance. There was another person, ahead. Looking harder, she saw that there were several of them... A forest... The people turned and began to run. The mist began to clear.  
  
[...Figures up ahead moving in the trees...]  
  
"Wait!" Daricio cried, running after them.  
  
About two seconds later, she almost caught up to one, the mist cleared completely...  
  
And Daricio sighed as she realized that she was, just as Yugi had, chasing Dark Magicians.  
  
***********************************************************************  
  
{Yugi}  
  
Yugi looked around his room, flashes of his dream still jumping into his mind now and then...  
  
It had been another of those strange Dark Magician chasing dreams... Which was odd, becuase they had just started to stop occuring. Yugi had assumed that this was becuase they had solved their mystery about Daricio, but now they were back...  
  
When he had first started having the dreams, he had doubted when Yami kept telling him it meant something, becuase nothing had happened. But now with what had been happening with Daricio appearing and the things that Isis, back at the museum, had told them, he believed it.  
  
He sat up in bed, thinking. What could it mean this time? Usually, it meant he was searching for some answer, the answer to a question. Sure, he was trying to figure out questions about Yami's past, but the dreams usually indicated that the answer to one question about HIM that would be found... Or something like that.  
  
And with Kaiba's new Battle city thing that he was starting, it was important to know what any dreams he was having meant... It could definitelly end up solving some problems...  
  
He'd go talk to Yami about it...  
  
He got up from his soul room bed, walking over to the door leading to the hallway between his and Yami's rooms, glancing at Daricio's on his way, then he opened the door.  
  
And almost collided with Yami, who was just going the other way, into his soul room.  
  
"Woah! Sorry Yami." Yugi said, backing up.  
  
Yami smiled. "That's ok. Just wondering, but did you just have a-"  
  
Daricio's soul room door opened. "Hey, guys? I just had a really strange dream...."  
  
Everybody looked at each other. "Dark Magician chasing dream?" Yugi asked.  
  
Yami and Daricio both nodded. Yugi sighed. "This is strange... me too..."  
  
Yami frowned, then went over and sat down on Yugi's bed. "This has got to have something to do with what Isis told us last night..." he said.  
  
Daricio nodded. "But what could it mean?"  
  
"It could simply mean that we're all searching for answers... I'm searching for the answers to questions about my past, Yugi's helping me, I suppose you are too..." Yami suggested.  
  
Daricio thought about this. "Yeah, I've also been noticing somebody in my soul room lately, and I've been trying to find out about that..."  
  
"So it basically means that we're going to find these answers? Or does it simply mean we're searching for them?" Yugi asked.  
  
Yami shrugged. "It could mean both..."  
  
Daricio yawned. "What time is it?"  
  
Yugi looked. "Woah. It's midnight...."  
  
"If I'm tired, I'm betting that Yami's even more tired. I have no clue how he was able to do anything today, he was only running on about 3 hours of sleep..." Daricio commented.  
  
Yami nodded slightly, but it was obvious he wasn't really paying attention; he was still thinking about the dreams.  
  
Yugi smiled. "Let's go back to sleep. We'll figure this out in the morning..."  
  
"Right"  
  
****************************************************************************  
  
{Much later: Daricio}  
  
The next week passed by rather quickly, although Daricio wasn't sure if that was good or bad. It was now a Monday, and Seto Kaiba had apparently bribed the school board into closing school for the following week...  
  
(Unfortunatally, he had absolutely no influence over Daricio's school, and probably didn't even care even if he did have any influence, and so therefore, Daricio still had to go to school.)  
  
She really wanted the Tournament to start so that they could start getting some answers, but she also wanted to have more time to prepare for it...  
  
Yugi, Yami, and Daricio had all worked together on a deck that he could use for the tournament, and it had gotten.... interesting... it had taken a while for them to agree on which cards should be in it!  
  
They had finally gotten the deck ready the day before, and Yugi was going to spend the next few days dueling with Joey, with the new systems, to make sure they both stayed in top form.  
  
That was especially important now that the tournament was going to be starting in two days!  
  
Registration had been on Saturday, two days prior... and Joey had only slightly made a fool out of himself... Something that was completely natural, of course.  
  
There they had each gotten a box with Kaiba's new duel disk systems and a strange glass... thing...  
  
Tristen had helped Joey unpack his system and had found the thing... He had almost thrown it away thinking it was a part of the packaging... But Joey had stopped him, pointing with an "Are-you-completely stupid-or-is-it-just- me?" look on his face towards a little card that read, "Do not throw this away, it's important."  
  
The dreams kept coming, for all of them... The only one of the three that had the dreams less than the other two was Yugi...  
  
Daricio had also been sensing that other presence in her soul room quite often as well...  
  
At one point, she had walked by a mirror only to notice that her hair had shifted slightly... Slightly lighter and sticking upward a little more than usual... Then, again before she could check out her soul room, she felt the presense leave and her hair returned to normal...  
  
Whoever it was, they were getting a whole lot more confident... Staying slightly longer than before, and trying to do more things in there...  
  
She had started putting up mental "traps" in her soul room similar to the ones Yami had in his, though not quite so dangerous, but the only people they seemed to be catching were her and Yugi...  
  
On yet another note, still nobody had been able to find Bakura... He hadn't been going to school that past week, and nobody could find him after school. He seemed to be avoiding everyone...  
  
It was now almost noon, and Yugi had said that he'd meet Joey in the park at around that time. He was now at the park, but he was waiting for Joey.  
  
Daricio had tried to start up the "I know a song that gets on everybody's nerves," song to pass the time, but nobody was really in the mood to deal with her...  
  
Daricio sighed. She knew that Yami and Yugi were awaiting the tournament, but they didn't have to be all... boring about it...  
  
The two of them had gotten extremely serious lately. Sure, they were all going to be saving the world and all, but it wasn't really necessary to be so grim about it... Yugi and Yami were the best duelists she knew! There was no way anyone'd be able to beat them!  
  
And having her around to give hints from the shows didn't hurt either!  
  
Although, all that last week, even though they had said that they were going to be showing new eppies every day, the only new episode had been one that they cal called, "Stepping out," that briefly showed some of the things that Yami and Tea had done on their little "date."  
  
More importantly, it also showed them all that Kaiba had also been shown the tablets, and had been shown the past through that necklace that Isis had...  
  
Of course, for some reason the show called her Ishizu... It was quite strange really... Hard to figure how they got Ishizu from Isis, but whatever...  
  
Yugi got up from the bench that he was sitting at and began to pace, but still watching his Duel Disk system, which was still in it's box, and getting slightly impatient that Joey hadn't shown up yet...  
  
(Everyone had developed a habit of keeping their duel disk systems in their boxes and carrying the boxes around so that the systems would be in top form for the tournament.)  
  
Daricio sighed again. "I still don't think it's fair that Isis showed Kaiba the past, but not you! Who's side is she on, anyway???"  
  
"Ours, or she wouldn't have told us anything at all." Yami pointed out.  
  
"Then why is she leading us around in circles, and yet showing Kaiba tons of stuff?"  
  
"If you'll remember, Kaiba has never believed any of this magic stuff, even when he got trapped in the Shadow Realm." Yugi pointed out, still pacing. "So she'd have to show him more things than she would show us, or he wouldn't accept it."  
  
Daricio nodded, understanding. "Yes, but it's still confusing. Why would Isis want Kaiba to start a tournament? And why would she give him a god card, but not you, Yami?"  
  
Yami shrugged. "She must have her reasons..."  
  
"It was probably a vision of the future that she had; Kaiba using Obelisk in a tournament, but the pharaoh still able to defeat him, or... I don't know... Maybe Kaiba's NOT the main reason for her starting this tournament after all." Yugi said, shrugging.  
  
"Then what would be?" Daricio asked.  
  
"I don't know!" Yugi sighed.  
  
Yami watched his Hikari as he paced back and forth, obviously frustrated.  
  
Daricio was grateful for a break in the tension when Yugi suddenly stopped and announced, with some relief, that Joey had finally showed up.  
  
The two of them began her duel and, even though she normally enjoyed dueling, she was at the moment glad that she could simply watch this one. She had too much on her mind to be really concentrating on a duel.  
  
The duel lasted quite a while, probably a few hours, but Daricio wasn't really paying attention to it, so she didn't even notice when it was over.  
  
Tea and Tristen had apparently showed up while she was spacing out, and it was dark outside...  
  
//Who won?// she asked Yugi when she finally noticed he wasn't dueling anymore.  
  
He grinned. //Me, but just barely. Joey's getting really good, I bet he's going to do great in this tournament!//  
  
Daricio nodded. //Good.//  
  
"I'm going to be going over to the hospital. Serenity's having her operation tomorrow morning, and I promised her I'd be there." Joey said, breaking into their conversation.  
  
"Wish her luck for me." Tristen said, his face turning slightly red. "I'd be willing to go and help you guys out with anything you need, all right?"  
  
Joey nodded. "Sure, thanks Tristen. You're a real pal. Here's something you could do! Carry all this ta my house, would ya buddy?" He began dumping random stuff out of his pockets and into Tristen's hands.  
  
Tristen frowned. "I meant, with Serenity, not with your trash." he said, lookind disgustedly at the extremely large pile of candy wrappers, bits of metal, and other random junk that had suddenly collected in his hands.  
  
Joey grinned. "I know that." he said, taking his stuff back and stuffing it back into his pockets. "And it's not ALL trash."  
  
The look on Tristen's face said that he didn't believe him. Joey turned away towards a side street and began heading off towards the hospital.  
  
"See ya guys later!" he called over his shoulder. He disappeared into the alleyway.  
  
Tristan stared after him, wiping candy-wrapper-grime off of his hands onto his shirt.  
  
"Gee, Tristen. Since when have you been wanting to help Joey out with stuff?" Tea asked, smirking.  
  
"He just wants to impress Joey's sister, Serenity." Yugi said, grinning.  
  
Tristen's face turned a very dark shade of red, and he turned away, muttering something. Tea and Yugi laughed, and for the first time since meeting Isis, Yami smiled as well.  
  
They all walked home. Tomorrow was going to be another day of training, and they needed to get some sleep...  
  
**************************************************************************** **  
  
{The next morning: Mrs. Wheeler???} (this is new...)  
  
"Hello?" the boy on the other line said, sounding sleepy. And for good reason, too, it was extremelly early... School hadn't even started yet... Or, it wouldn't have even started if Kaiba hadn't closed school temporarily...  
  
"H-h-hello." I said haltingly. I swallowed. //All right... Let's get this under control... Stay calm...// I took a deep breath.  
  
"This is Samantha... erm, I mean Mrs. Wheeler... Joey's mom." I finished my sentance.  
  
//Oh yeah, that was calm.//  
  
"Mrs. Wheeler?" the boy, obviously Joey's friend, Yugi, said. "What's up?"  
  
"Well, you see... I'm at the Hospital with Serenity right now... and... Is Joseph over there???" I burst out finally. "He never showed last night, and Serenity is-"  
  
"What? Joey never showed up at the hospital last night?"  
  
I blinked. "That's what I said, isn't it? Is he over there, do you know where he is? Serenity is going into hysterics over here..."  
  
"I don't know, but I'll call everyone over. We'll find him, Mrs. Wheeler." Yugi said with determination.  
  
I sighed in relief. "Would you do that? Thanks so much."  
  
"No problem. See ya when we find him." he said.  
  
"Then I hope to see you soon. Bye."  
  
"See ya!"  
  
I hung up the phone and turned to Serenity, who was sitting on her hospital bed looking up at me.  
  
"Did Yugi say he was going to help?"  
  
I nodded. "He's going to get all Joseph's friends together and search for him."  
  
Serenity looked away, curling up into a ball and looking at the wall.  
  
(A/N: Wow.... that rhymes.... *blink*)  
  
I sighed and got up. "Would you like me to leave for now?"  
  
Serenity nodded slowly. I went over to the door and opened it, walking out into the hall. "I hope they can find him..." she muttered to herself. I nodded, then closed the door.  
  
*******************************************************************  
  
That's IT!!!!!!!!!! I'm posting this and I don't CARE if it's short and stupid! It's taking forever to get this done, what with computer errors and writers block and writing other stories, and frankly, I jsut need to get this out and simply work on one of my other stories for a while or I'm going to explode!!!!!!!!  
  
Malik: *walking in* You need to take a chill pill.  
  
Daricio: *sigh* I know, I know. And by the way, in case you're wondering, Malik's my muse. He's allowed to be here.  
  
Malik: Unwilling muse.  
  
Daricio: Right. But anyway, here was your chapter, peoples. Sorry it's not better. Be glad I updated.  
  
Malik: O.o Yup, sheeeeee's mad...  
  
Daricio: Hey, it's not my fault.  
  
Malik: why?  
  
Daricio: Because it's not. Now be quiet, I need to update.  
  
Malik: Why?  
  
Daricio: Becasue if i don't, then the reviewers are going to kill me and I'll get that stinky thing stuck back in my soul room...  
  
Malik: Why?  
  
Daricio: Quit it, or I won't let you listen to the "Yu-Gi-Oh Music to Duel By" CD I just recently finally got.  
  
Malik: -_- Shutting up.  
  
Daricio: Alright, hope you liked the chappie. It will, hopefully, be better next time. X_X And no, I'm not gunna do any more 1st person thingies... The one I did was random and I don't even know why I did it. I just felt like it.  
  
Malik: *rolls eyes*  
  
Daricio: Well, must go. Byez...  
  
--Daricio 


	29. Ok, Joey's back And it looks like Mr Gic...

Alright, here's my newest chappie of "Where's Yugi?"...  
  
Malik: Sure took you a long time, huh?  
  
Daricio: Who asked you?  
  
Malik: Nobody...  
  
Daricio: Well, it is true... ^_^U  
  
Malik: *rolls eyes*  
  
Daricio: So, anywise, thankies to everyone who reviewed! I feel special!  
  
Malik: You do? Why?  
  
Daricio: Oh, be quiet, you...  
  
Actually, speaking of reviews...  
  
Well, my Millennium Magic story started out going good, but lately... well... Let's put it this way: Last chapter I posted, I got four reviews. Four. That's it. For the whole chapter. Needless to say, although the few who do review like the story, I'm seriously considering discontinueing it.  
  
This is not only due to the fact that I'm not getting reviews, though. It's also due to the fact that with so many stories, it often takes me forever to do any updates. (In case you actually haven't noticed...) and discontinueing would create lots more time to write my other stories...  
  
So, unless I get enough people telling me not to discontinue the story, that's what I'm going to do...  
  
And speaking of not updating fast, don't expect me to really be updating very quickly... I have a LOT of things on my mind lately, and I honestly DON'T need the extra pressure and stress of people flaming me or sticking stinky things in my soul room *cough*Livi*cough* when I don't update! (And if you haven't noticed, yes I'm a little bit stressed at the moment...)  
  
Also, a lot of people recently have been telling me a whole lot about random typos and errors that have been appearing in my story... *Cough*PerfectArms*Cough* And to this, I have one thing to say: *Sticks tongue out* I don't care!!!!! Yes, I know I spelled Tristan wrong. I know that I typoed my own name at one point! I know I knwo I know!!! V_V *blink* I just typoed "know"... V_V!!! V_V!!! V_V!!!!!!!!!  
  
Malik: Ha ha.  
  
Daricio: Quiet!  
  
On a lighter note, I've been doing some Yu-Gi-Oh fan art! I personally think most of it sucks cuz I keep messing up on it, but others tell me I'm doing pretty good... I'm going to post it up on my new home page and soon as I'm not too busy to do so... ^_^U which may be a while, actually..  
  
Well, nothing else really to say at the moment, so let's go into my review responses...  
  
Malik: *rolls eyes* Fun...  
  
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~  
  
Ethelflead: Sorry you've been having computer promlems... Me too... V_V I think technology hates me... ^^U And long reivews aren't stupid, they good! ^^  
  
Devious-Duo: Thanks for telling me! I'll be sure to look at that...  
  
Kate Ryou: ^^ You're related to Rada! (sorta) If you're Yami's wife, then Rada, (mine and Shells's character) is your daughter! *ahem* back to other things, I'm pretty sure you can figure out your story without me reading it over your shoulder while you write. ^^ Thanks for reviewing!  
  
Taby: Thanks for telling me what Trigun is... And yes, I did see Joey's betrayal... V_V and yes, I do also think that Odion is a stupid name. (Never will I call him that, never never never.)  
  
NekoPlushie: Yeah, I know, I know... But it's still funny listening to it... ^_^  
  
Caterfree: See above for explanation of taking long time to update. ^_^U See, I personally DO hate short chappies, especially when it takes forever for the author to update, so, frankly, I'm a bit annoyed at myself... ^_^U Thanks for you support, though.  
  
Tamera Raymond: Thanks a ton for your support! ^_^  
  
Mojobubbles: Yeah, I know how they got Ishizu from Isis... I saw the lil movie clips... ^_^ But the idea is, the Daricio in my story DOESN'T know that because, unlike me, she doesn't spend forever on the computer all the time! (and this is becuase when I started the story, I didn't spend forever on the computer either... I'm trying to kinda capture myself at the age that I started writing it at... Yah know, no glassies, no computer, etc. etc. etc.) ^_^ And yes, YAY I got the CD!!! Unfortunetally... -_- My stereo killed it!!!!! AAAAARGGGGHHH!!!!!!  
  
Malik: Be glad. It killed the evil Pegasus song...  
  
Daricio: V_V But it also killed "The World of Yu-Gi-Oh" "Heart of the Cards" and "Millennium Battle" !!! I liked those songs!!!  
  
C.M. Aeris Queen of Insanity: Somehow, I don't think you got the note that I don't like swearing... -_-UUU  
  
Also, uh... I think that was a compliment and an insult... You're in love with the story, but it has more errors than anything you've ever read??? What errors??? Please send me an e-mail with more details... If I'm messing up, I want to know. (Unless it's just something stupid like typos everywhere or spelling errors... I already know that I typo everywhere... V_V)  
  
And, no, I don't need info on the eppies... I have most of them recorded already... Plus, I'm trying to make the story sound like it's been edited from what happened to what the FWCs show to us. Because of this, I'm trying to do it mostly by memory so that there will be those minor differences.  
  
(If that's where my "errors" come in, that's why.)  
  
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~  
  
Daricio: And now, to the story!  
  
Malik: yay....  
  
Daricio: ^_^  
  
***********************************************************  
  
{Joey}  
  
Joey slowly opened his eyes, only to have the light glinting off the alleyway walls and sidewalk shine into them, forcing him to pull them shut again.  
  
Now that he was a little more awake than he had been, he attempted to shift his weight a little bit. Pain shot through his legs and arm and he winced slightly. After a while, he found that he was in a sitting position, leaning up against a wall of some sort.  
  
'How did I get here?' he wondered slightly. Suddenly a rush of memories came flooding back. Trying to get over to the hospital, cutting through an alleyway... The Rare Hunters... His Red Eyes... Serenity...  
  
He vaugely remembered coming to sometime in the middle of the night and pushing himself into this position before passing out again... Those Rare Hunters really knew how to pack a punch...  
  
He opened his eyes again, looking around the alleyway. Everything was still a little blurry, and he could feel that his right eye was starting to swell a little.  
  
"Oh, man!" Joey closed his eyes again and leaned up heavily against the wall. "Serenity's going to kill me!" He groaned.  
  
He tried to stand up, but was too weak to do so. He sighed in frustration. "I... gotta get to... Serenity!" He muttered to himself. "She... She was counting on me..."  
  
But the blackness was coming back, the short effort of trying to get up having drained him of whatever energy he had left.  
  
He sat still, breathing heavily, trying not to go unconscious again. He had to be there for Serenity... to help her through her operation... He let out another sigh of frustration and pain.  
  
"Joey? Joey! where are ya, man?" He suddenly heard somebody calling his name."Jooooooooey!!!!"  
  
Joey frowned, still mostly unconscious. 'Oh great, now I'm halucinating...'  
  
"Joey! Joooey!"  
  
"Go away...." Joey muttered. He doubted anyone heard him, though.  
  
"Joey! Joey! Jo-" there was a pause in the shouting, then, "Joey!?! Man, what happened to you? Joey, can ya hear me?" The voice was now right next to him.  
  
Joey groaned, then attempted to open his eyes again. "Tristan?" he asked.  
  
"Oh, thank goodness, you're ok. We gotta get you to the Hospital, buddy!" Tristan began trying to help him up onto his feet. "You gotta help your sister!"  
  
"What do you think I was trying to do?" Joey said wearily, trying to sound like his normal self. "Just sitting around taking a nap?"  
  
Tristan led him over to his motercycle and helped him get on. "Just hold onto me now, ok?"  
  
Joey nodded, and they took off. He was still feeling dizzy, but soon the air blowing into his face began to clear his head.  
  
After a while, the two of them passed by Yugi and Tea.  
  
"Look who I found!" Tristan called. Joey heard them shout something back to him, but it was lost on the wind. Soon, the hospital loomed up.  
  
"We're almost there, just keep holding on!" Tristan yelled to him.  
  
"I can see that! I'm not blind, ya know!" Joey yelled back.  
  
Soon the cycle stopped and Joey got off, heading inside the building. "Thanks, man!" he said to Tristan.  
  
"Hey, no problem. What happened, anyway?" Tristan asked.  
  
Joey shook his head. "I'll explain later. Long story. For now, I gotta go see my sister."  
  
Tristan nodded. "Let's go."  
  
They raced as quickly as they could through the halls without getting told off by any of the nurses, and finally came around the corner leading to Serenity's hospital room.  
  
Joey took a deep breath.  
  
"Serenity, let us into this room, please!" There was his mom, looking like she was on the verge of tears. "The doctors need to do the operation, and they can't if you won't come out!"  
  
"I won't do it, then! Not if Joey's not here to help me!" he heard Serenity cry through the closed door.  
  
One of the doctors turned to Joey's mom. "I don't have time for this. We have other patients. I'm sorry."  
  
"No, please wait! I'm sure she'll come out, please just wait!" Joey's mom sobbed, obviously very stressed out over the whole thing.  
  
"Yeah, doc, hang on a minute." Joey said, walking closer.  
  
"Joseph!"  
  
Suddenly, all eyes were on him as he walked across the hall towards the door.  
  
"I'll take care of this." he said softly to his mom. Then he turned to the door. "Serenity? It's Joey. Will you open up the door so we can talk?"  
  
"No! You didn't show up last night! You promised, Joey, you promised!" Serenity's voice broke and she began to cry.  
  
Joey leaned up against the door, feeling tears come to his own eyes. "I'm sorry, Serenity. I was trying to get there, honest. Some creeps cornered me last night... they forced me into a duel... beat me up... But that's no excuse. I should have been here for ya! I'm really sorry."  
  
He took another deep breath and waited. The door opened, and there was Serenity.  
  
She looked up at her brother and gave him a huge hug. "Joey!" she whispered. "I'm scared..."  
  
"It'll be okay. I'll be there with ya every step of the way." Joey said comfortingly. "I promise."  
  
"Thank you."  
  
****************************************************************  
  
{Yugi}  
  
It was a relief for Yugi to know that Joey had been found and taken to see his sister. Everything was going to be fine now...  
  
He hoped so anyway...  
  
Yugi was now back at his house and had recieved a phone call from Joey saying that the operation would go as planned now and thanking him for going out and looking fo him.  
  
Yugi flopped down onto his bed and sighed, glancing at the clock. It was already 7:00 in the morning...  
  
When Joey's mom had called at first, Yugi hadn't bothered Daricio, knowing that she had been up already, doing her paper route and didn't need any distractions, but she was definitely back by now, seeing as she had to be done with the route by 6:30.  
  
He went into his soul room and went over to the door seperating their two soul rooms. Opening it, he stepped inside the corridor and knocked on Daricio's room.  
  
At first, there was no reply, but after a while Yugi noticed that he could faintly hear an alarm clock going off.  
  
"Hey, Daricio? Daricio!!!" Yugi called. "According to your alarm clock, you need to get up! Daricio?"  
  
About two seconds passed, and then the sound of the alarm stopped.  
  
"WHAT??!?!?!?!!?" Daricio suddenly squealed from the other room.  
  
"What is it?" Yugi asked quickly.  
  
The door opened, letting Yugi in, and then Daricio was off racing about her room.  
  
Yugi looked around. "Are you late for something?" he asked.  
  
Daricio nodded, then got back to getting ready. "It's 7:00 already, of course I'm late!"  
  
Yugi was momentarily confused, thinking hard about what it could be that Daricio was late for, and then he grinned. "Did you not get up for the paper route this morning?"  
  
Daricio sighed, still getting ready as fast as she could. "Yes, I slept through my alarm! Why do you think it was going off??? School starts in 45 minutes, and I still have to completely get ready, AND those papers are still sitting there in the living room waiting to be delivered!"  
  
Yugi turned back to his own soul room. "I'll go get Yami. Me and him will help you with your paper route, then you can get ready for school. You'll probably be late today, though."  
  
Daricio shook her head. "No, by now, My mom'll be awake, and if she sees you guys, she'll flip! And what about the neighbors? Most of them are huge Yu-Gi-Oh fans and also get up early for school. If they see you..."  
  
"Ok, ok, I get it." Yugi said, sighing. "I'm too famous to do anything anymore."  
  
"Well, that and your hair style would attract lots of attention."  
  
"What's wrong with my hair?"  
  
"Nothing, it's just very unusual, that's all."  
  
"I happen to like my hair, thank you very much."  
  
Daricio grinned. "I know. My mom wouldn't though."  
  
Yugi frowned. "Yeah, ok..." he said after a moment.  
  
"And don't worry about it. I've been late to school before, it's no big deal..." Daricio said. Then she muttered, "I just wish somebody had woken me up..."  
  
*****************************************************************  
  
{Interlude: Mr. Gice}  
  
"Just a little more.. One more... There!" Mr. Gice held up his newest gadget for his non-existant audience to see.  
  
It was what looked like a small round ball, only it had small little wings attached to each side of it. It also had two buttons on the top of it.  
  
"It's MY version of the FWC." Mr. Gice announced to himself, turning it around so that the camera's lens turned toward the room. He flicked one of the buttons located on top of the ball shaped camera and one of the screens near him in his semi-large laboratory lit up, showing the view from the camera.  
  
Mr. Gice grinned. "And this is it's test drive. To see if it works."  
  
He placed the RWC (Real World Camera) onto a table and picked up a control pad.  
  
Turning on the control pad and playing with a few buttons on it, Mr. Gice made the wings on the RWC reveal their purpose. They each had little boosters inside and with the control pad running, the RWC began to zoom around the room, completely under Mr. Gice's control.  
  
Mr. Gice watched the flight of his creation for a while, grinning slightly as he ran the thing into a few pictures on the wall, knocking them off, then he looked back down at his control pad.  
  
"Aviation, check." he said, nodding. "Time for step two of testing procedures."  
  
He flicked on another switch on the control pad and then set it back down on the table.  
  
Then he began to walk around the room. The RWC stopped what it was doing and began to follow him around, keeping pointed on his every move.  
  
Mr. Gice nodded and jogged back over to his screen. The RWC followed obediently, still tracking him.  
  
"Filming follower, Check. Soundlessness, check." Mr. Gice listed off. "Time for step three of testing procedures."  
  
He picked up his control pad again and flicked off the Filming follower (Ff) then he propelled the RWC into a landing on his desk. He picked it up and pressed the second button on the top of it.  
  
The RWC became invisible, although Mr. Gice could still feel it. He set it back onto the desk, then set the control pad back to Ff mode. He set the pad down and watched his screen.  
  
It was a success. The RWC was still transmitting everything it was seeing, was still tracking him perfectly, and he still couldn't exactly figure out where it was. Perfect.  
  
"Invisibility, check." Mr. Gice smiled. This was the part he had been worried about, but it seemed to have worked fine. "Time for step four."  
  
He pressed another switch on the control pad and the RWC slowly came back into view, hovering over his head.  
  
"Emergency Inviso-turn-off switch, check. Step five..."  
  
He switched it off of Ff mode and piloted it back onto the desk. "This is the dangerous part..."  
  
He flipped two more switches on his control pad, and a cover slipped off of a big red button in the corner. He hesitated a moment, then pressed down on the switch.  
  
At first, nothing happened. Then there was a big flash of light as a few cables short circuted and blew, scattering sparks everywhere! His screen went fuzzy.  
  
Mr. Gice looked carefully over the damage. "Transportation to Freaky World... Uncheck..."  
  
***********************************************************************  
  
I was going to put up another POV, but I decided I wanted to get this chappie up... It's pretty short by my usual standards, but hey, so was last chappie, and at least this one didn't take forever to get posted up.  
  
For those of you who are wondering, I'm going to stop writing for a little while... Lately, writing has been making me slightly frustrated, (stupid writers block and computer errors and people watching over my shoulder as I write) and so I'm taking a break. Especially with Millennium Magic.  
  
I MAY update Ring Logic, but maybe not... *shrugs* It's actually one of the main reasons I'm feeling frustrated... I have almost 60 (really strange) reviews already on it!!! That is a TON of reviews for such a stupid pointless ficcie that I was only doing in my spare time cuz I thought it would be funny. Especially when you compare it to the whole 4 reviews I got for Millennium Magic, and the puny amount of reviews I've been getting for Millennium Item Girl, and the barely decent amount of reviews I've been getting for this...  
  
If I get enough reviews telling me to keep going on Millennium Magic and my other ficcies, (Except Ring Logic) I may start up writing again... But until then, like I said, I'm taking a much needed break.  
  
(I will still be on the computer, so my AIM will be up and I'll still be reviewing on stories that I read.)  
  
See you next time I update... (Which may or may not be a while, depending on how many reviews I get...)  
  
--Daricio 


	30. Morning of the First Day Of Battle City

Daricio: Hello everyone!  
  
Sorry it's taken me so long to update any and all of my stories. (three months since this updated...) ^_^U For one, I've been working hard on my contest entry for HCG's contest. For another, Lately I've been getting writer's block.  
  
It's not the kind where I don't have any ideas for my stories, I've been getting plenty of those, it's just that it's simply hard for me to just sit down and write! I needed some motivation...  
  
I started writing today, cause I got to watch Yu-Gi-Oh new eppie today! ^_^ They've been cutting back on how many new eppies they let us see, showing us reruns all the time, and now we got a new one! Talk about motivation...  
  
Course, I've missed two whole eppies lately, the Mai/Movie star guy one, and the middle of the Yugi/Bakrua duel in the finals, but that's ok.. I think... The Mai/movie star guy one was more of a filler eppie anyways, and the Bakura/Yugi one, I think I can figure out...  
  
Who all saw O-word's evil dubbie flashback??? Yeesh, I haven't even ever seen the real Japanese version before and I already like it better than the dub version! The voices are horrid! *shudder* And they cut out the "Initiation".... Ritual.. thing.. -_- We should all join together as Yu-Gi- Oh.. uh.. people.. and storm 4kids headquarters, demanding that they quit with the cutting! Muahahahahahahahahahahaha..... ^_^U  
  
But anywhos, enough about me, more about this story!  
  
Today is the celebration of the posting of this ficcie's 30th chapter! ^_^ Yayz! For the record, it is October the 3rd, 2003. It's a Friday. And I have 148 reviews on this ficcie. ^_^ Thankies to all you you for making this possible!  
  
Actually, I would like to personally thank BakaNeko-chan for setting me straight. (actually, I can't personally think her because this is the internet, but you all know what I mean anyway, right?) She actually reviewed on Millennium Magic, but she let me know how stupid I've been being. I've been sitting here complaining about not getting any reviews and being upset about that, and she was kind enough to remind me... that I've got over 50 reviews on Millennium Magic, and even more for Where's Yugi!  
  
^_^U  
  
Sorry, everyone, for being such a jerk... I will start writing my stories again. ^_^ (Well, I'll have to think reeeeeally hard about writing on Ring Logic.. sure, it's funny enough, but... ah, whatever..)  
  
Also, because I KNOW that I will be unable to update again before this date next month, (^_^U) I'm going to celebrate it that chappie! The publish date on this story is 11/19/02, meaning that next month, I'll have been working on my story for a year! ^_^ We should have a birthday party for the ficcie.  
  
Malik: ....Maybe next chappie.  
  
Daricio: ^_^ Okies!  
  
Oh, and also, I have to tell you all something just really quickly... I have a point sometime during the finals that I have picked to shift my storyline completely away from the show's storyline. I also have a point picked out that I'm actually going to END the story...  
  
Everyone: *in shocked silence*  
  
Daricio: *quickly* I don't think I'll get to the end of this too fast, though, don't worry... I can't summerize ANYTHING worth beans, and so even if I tried to just run through everything that happens next really fast, I'd need to have at least five or six more chapters... ^_^U So, although it feels strange to me to know where I'm stopping, it's also sort of a relief to know that I don't have one of those dern annoying insanity stories that never ends...  
  
Anyways, now it's time for review responses!  
  
Malik: Have you ever noticed that when you start talking, I get left out of everything?  
  
Daricio: ... and?  
  
Malik: -_- Never mind, just do your silly story...  
  
Daricio: ^_^ Ok!  
  
************************************************************  
  
~Reveiw Responses~  
  
~Bakurakrazie: -_- No teasing me about my typos. ^_^UU It's good to see you're having fun with abbribiations, though! *typos "abbriviations"* -_-U Anyways, yes I'll continue writing my stories again, and here's the next chapter of "Where's Yugi?" to prove it! ^_^  
  
~Ethelflaed: Wow, I think I've actually spelled your screen name enough times to remember how to spell it without having to stare at my explorer browser while I type it to make sure I get it right! ^_^U you have an interesting friend... *puts up a block so your friend can't wipe anime off the face of the earth* There! ^_^ Thanks for understanding... ^_^ I had a nice break. And I'm going to be including Mr. Gice into the story a lot more, now. Well, not this chappie, but you can be sure to look out for him immedietly following the Arkana duel. ^_^ Happy reading!  
  
~Master of Dimensions: Oh, don't worry.. he is.. he is... ^_^ I'm not telling you what'll happen with it, either. It's a surprise.  
  
~Tamera Raymond: Right, origionality. *spells it wrong* ^_^U Actually, it's the stuff that's not included on the show that I get the most writer's block about, but I do try to have as much oreo-ality as I can. (mmm.. oreos...) Anyways, the point ish that you shouldn't be surprised if I do use a ton of stuff from the show. I DO have to include at least SOME of it, or the ficcie won't make sense, right? Right! Anyways, thanks for saying you love the ficcie! ^_^  
  
~NekoPlushie: I can, and I will. Stop Ring Logic, that is... *grin* but I'll make up for it by working this story a lot more! Interesting how you'd imagine the RWC as being like a snitch... I was thinking more like the ball part on the top of the Millennium Rod, only with a camera lens instead of the Millennium Eye symbol. But it works either way, and I appreciate the feedback! ^_^ *waves back*  
  
~The Perpetually Hyper One: Yup, defenitely in the same boat. Now, let us go to the mighty temple of Ra and plead for lethargy removers!!!  
  
Malik: *rolls eyes* Oh, Puh-lease!  
  
Daricio: What? we're just gunna go to the tem-  
  
Malik: *sigh* never mind, you're too insane to understand.  
  
Daricio: ^_^ Thankies! *back to talking to you*Anyways, thankies for your inputness! (And if that isn't the most overused line in these review responses...) ^_^U  
  
~Taby: Ok, I'll continue my stories. You don't have to cry cause of me. ^_^U Read on for chappie!  
  
~The Insane Otaku AKA Caterfree: ^_^U Sorry about you dieing... I'll try to be updating faster...  
  
~Evil Neptune: Thanks for showing me that web site! It's very interesting! Personally, I didn't like the dream sequence... ^_^U I can't write songfics worth beans. oh well. I'll have more people talking in soul rooms if you want. It's pretty easy to have one, though. Just imagine that you're walking or standing in a room! (or just imagine a room.) sometimes it's hard to envision the details, and others it's clearer.. (My little sister insists that an entire wall in her soul room consists of a huge panel with buttons, switches, and gadgets all over it, and that once, she pushed a button, then realized that she was now walking backwards... And I insist back to her that everything in mine is rainbow colored and it has no walls, but instead stretches out forever into the shadow realm, which is why I lose my train of thought so easily... speaking of which... ^_^U I just did, I think.) Anyways.. ^_^U Yes, the Freaky World, according to Mr. Gice, is our world. The "Real World" to him is Yugi's world. And you'll see about the Mr. Gice meeting Kaiba thing. Like I said for Ethelflaed, watch for Mr. Gice after the Arkana duel! ^_^  
  
~C.M Aeris Queen of Insanity: Yes, Mr. Gice is a very funny, likable guy... hmm.. I wonder why he's still single... I think it's cuz he's insane... ^_^ And somewhat old, I think... o.o  
  
~MikeNK: Well, maybe stupid pointless ficcie was a bad way of putting it. What I meant was, I was only writing it in my spare time as something that was meant to be a stupid pointless ficcie. I didn't expect to get so many reviews on it.. But frankly, it's starting to frustrate me, so I probably will stop writing it. And I won't discontinue Millennium Magic... Don't worry. ^_^ I know, you were hoping I'd have them figure it out real quick so you could stop getting confused by my chappies, huh? Not that easy, I'm afraid. ^_^ Anyways, read on for ficcie!  
  
~Devious-Duo: Thanks for saying that you like my story! And for telling my it'd lal rihgt thta I make so mnay typso!!! ^_^ *purposely made typos* Anyways, I hope my story doesn't get THAT bad with it's typos.. ^_^U  
  
dark angel5521: ^_^ Thanks. I will.  
  
Seagirl: I'm TRYING to update, but it is rather difficult...  
  
***************************************************************  
  
Daricio: And now....  
  
Malik: Ice Cream?  
  
Daricio: No!.. *pause* although that would be nice right about now... *ducks tomatoes from readers* Ok, Ok! And now...  
  
Malik: Strawberry Banana pudding?  
  
Daricio: NO!  
  
Malik: A trip to Wild Waves?  
  
Daricio: NO! The ficcie! THE FICCIE! AND NOW... IT'S TIME FOR THE FICCIE!!!!  
  
Malik: Oooooooohhhhhh.... ok, then... So what's taking you so long?  
  
Daricio: *anime vein*  
  
Malik: uuhh.. Let's start the ficcie now!  
  
Daricio: -_- Fine, but remind me to beat you up after the chapter. Or at least annoy you.  
  
Malik: *gulp*  
  
****************************************************************  
  
{Daricio}  
  
Yugi sighed. "I don't know... What if the deck we've made isn't powerful enough to beat whatever evil may be out there?"  
  
Yami shook his head, smiling slightly. "We've created a powerful deck, Yugi. And remember, when we put our faith in the heart of the cards, there's no way we can lose."  
  
Daricio nodded and yawned.  
  
It was the morning of the tournament start. Very early in the morning of the tournament start, actually. Daricio had just gotten off of her paper route and was supposed to be getting ready for school.  
  
Instead, she was in her room.... Well, sort of.. She was actually in Yugi's room talking about the tournament.  
  
Yugi and Yami both seemed somewhat worried about the "impending evil" that Isis had talked about. Daricio wasn't as worried, but she was interested in finding out what the evil was.  
  
"I have a question. You say that whoever believes in the heart of the cards will never lose, but what if both duelists believe in the heart of the cards... who wins then?" She asked.  
  
Yami suddenly had a blank look on his face as he contemplated this. Yugi shrugged. "I hope we don't have to find out..."  
  
"Perhaps... but it'd be a very interesting duel..." Daricio said. Yami nodded slightly.  
  
Yugi went back to worrying about his deck. "What if whatever evil is out there is too strong for us... I'm only one person, and-" he got cut off by Daricio.  
  
"No you're not. You've got Yami here helping you, and me and all your friends backing you up the whole way! That and the countless people watching the duels in my world that will also be cheering for you!" She said confidently.  
  
Yugi smiled. "Yeah, I suppose. It'll still be hard, though."  
  
"Yes, it may be difficult, Yugi, but remember, it is our destiny to win this tournament. Only then will I find the answers to my past." Yami said wisely. "No matter what the odds, no evil out there can stop us."  
  
Yugi's smile turned into a grin. "Right." he turned and grabbed his belt that had the deckbox attached to it. "Then let's go! It's time to face my destiny!" he swung the belt around himself and strapped it on.  
  
Daricio gave him a strange look. "Yugi, you missed..."  
  
"What do you mean, I missed?"  
  
"It's on sideways..."  
  
"Yeah, so?"  
  
"It looks weird that way."  
  
"Well, I like it!"  
  
Daricio rolled her eyes. "Whatever you say, Yugi."  
  
"Hey, it's not like what you're wearing is any better..."  
  
Daricio looked down at her own apparall. A green and black checkered sweater and blue sweatpants with a hole in the right knee. "These are my paper route clothes! I'm not going to wear this to school!"  
  
Yami sighed, shaking his head.  
  
"You will if you don't hurry up and get back to your body, Daricio, you're late for school!" DVD yelled, suddenly taking a temporary physical form right next to her.  
  
"Whoa!" Daricio jumped at his sudden appearance, then looked down at her watch. "Yipe!" she quickly let her physical form fade out.  
  
DVD shook his head, then turned to Yugi. "Good luck during Battle City, Yugi. Yami. See ya." he faded out as well.  
  
Daricio stormed back into her soul room with DVD behind her and kicked DVD back into his own soul room. "Why didn't you TELL me it was 7:45???" she yelled at him.  
  
Now in his own body again, DVD got up and began to leave Daricio's room, where he had found her 'asleep' in her bed. "I only just found you, that's why. Now get ready, quickly, or you'll make everybody late." he closed her door.  
  
Daricio sighed, then grabbed the nearest pants and shirt combination to her, changed clothing, and ran down the stairs. "So much for having a good fashion sense today..." she muttered to herself, getting her backpack and jumping into the car.  
  
**************************************************************************** **  
  
{Rare Hunter: Seeker}(What? That's his Japanese name... I think... You'll see who I mean...)  
  
Seeker opened up his laptop computer and began searching through the names listed on the screen. He chuckled to himself. It had been all too easy to hack into KaibaCorp's mainframe.  
  
"What order would you like to see the names in, Mr. Kaiba?" the message box on the computer politely stated.  
  
He typed in "rarest card."  
  
"Searching..." The screen flashed, and the duelists with the rarest cards were shown on the screen.  
  
"The hunt begins..." he murmered to himself, sipping slowly on his cup of tea.  
  
(A/n: No, not Tea! tea! tea! The drink thingy! ^_^UUU)  
  
"hmmm... The rarest card listed here is the Blue Eyes, obviously, and the next is the Red Eyes." he pulled out his deck and shuffled through to the Red Eyes Black Dragon card that had belonged to that fool Joey Wheeler only the night before.  
  
Wheeler would be back today. Seeker was sure of that. He put the card back into the deck and set the deck on the table, resuming his search on the internet.  
  
"Mai Valentine... Mako Tsunami... Weevil Underwood... Rex Raptor..." he murmered, looking down the page. "Hmmm.. They have nice cards..."  
  
"Attention Duelists." Kaiba's voice rang out over the square. "Welcome to the Battle City tournament."  
  
Everyone around Seeker quickly looked around for the source of the voice. Finally, somebody with long, blonde hair, matching that of the picture listed for Mai Valentine, pointed upward and shouted, "There! A blimp!"  
  
The crowd's faces turned upwards, and sure enough, there was a large blimp flying by with Seto Kaiba's very large, pixilated mug plastered on the screen attached to the side of it.  
  
Kaiba began laughing evilly. Seeker smirked. This guy was a jerk... It'd be easy even for him to beat this guy for Marik!  
  
"I hope you didn't join my tournament hoping for some friendly competition; Battle City is going to be an all out WAR!" Kaiba announced.  
  
Seeker ignored the rest of the announcement, turning back to his laptop. Kaiba was just blabbering on about his stupid contest anyway. There would be much higher stakes in this hunt than he would ever allow his dimwitted little head to contemplate.  
  
"Hey, you!"  
  
Seeker looked up and smirked as he saw Joey stomp closer and closer. Just as he had thought.  
  
"You've got my Red Eyes, and I demand to be allowed to duel you for it!" Joey fumed.  
  
Seeker shook his head in slight disgust at this pathetic thing before him. "I already own your rare card, Wheeler. Our hunt is OVER." He looked back down at his laptop once more.  
  
Joey growled. "Listen you, if you don't duel me, I'm gunna.."  
  
"Joey! What are you doing? Who's that?" A short boy with strange spiky hair ran up next to the frustrated blonde.  
  
Seeker looked up and looked sideways at the kid as Wheeler ranted to him, pointing towards him alot. Seeker quickly looked up Yugi Moto's profile and grinned. This was him!  
  
He stood up. "Yugi Moto. I challenge you to a duel!"  
  
********************************************************************  
  
{Daricio}  
  
Daricio sighed as she walked to her first period class. It had been a week since the rumors and things had started, and lately it had been getting worse.  
  
Chris's best friend had picked up on the original thing and started spreading around that Chris was in critical care at the hospital because she had gone over to his house and beat him up again... At least, that's what she knew according to a few random whispers in the halls...  
  
That was the real problem with rumors. Daricio could never really figure out what exactly was being said about her.  
  
At this point, though, she really didn't care anymore anyway. Let them say whatever they wanted to say. Let them avoid her for all she cared. It made it so that nobody bugged her while she was trying to concentrate on Battle City.  
  
Yugi had just started up his first duel, and it seemed that no evil was about anywhere... I mean, sure this guy was a big creep, but that didn't make him evil... Yugi'd beat him in no time flat, and then they could move on to their next duel.  
  
Daricio walked through the doorway and walked quickly to her seat.  
  
"Well, whaddya know? It's duel girl!" Daricio heard a voice behind her.  
  
She groaned slightly and turned to face to boy who had spoken. It was Chris.  
  
He didn't seem to be injured in any way shape or form. He was exactly the same as before, complete with sarcastic tone and stupid grin.  
  
"Hi." Chris said, suddenly caught off guard, not expecting her to have heard him, apparently, despite his loud voice.  
  
Daricio glanced around the classroom, trying to quickly decide whether or not talking him would make a scene that she probably should avoid. Most were trying to look as though they weren't paying attention while some were staring quite openly, though all were clearly paying rapt attenion.  
  
If she ignored him, they might think she was trying to act snooty. If she talked to him, they might think she was trying to work him into arguing with her so she could have another fight. Then again, if she talked to him, they might think-  
  
What was she thinking? Who cares what anyone else thought? If they thought bad of her some more, it would give her more time to focus on Battle City, and them thinking good of her wouldn't hurt her either. It didn't matter.  
  
"Hi. Where've you been lately? Not at school, I've noticed." Daricio replied to his greeting.  
  
Chris blinked, looking around a little bit.  
  
Daricio realized that he hadn't noticed everyone staring until now.  
  
"Nowhere. Just at home.. I was here last week, just not this week. Where were you?" he said, being a little more quiet now that he realized he was being watched.  
  
"In the Hospital." She replied easily, though mentally she was surprised. He had been there last week? Evil unstable rumors...  
  
Chris was somewhat taken aback at this information. "Hospital?" he asked. "Why?"  
  
Daricio shrugged, sitting down in her seat. "I was sick. Not drastic or anything, just unconscious, I think."  
  
"uncon-"  
  
Just then, the teacher strolled into the classroom. "All right, class, today, we're going to be reviewing our JS chunk paragraph styles. Everybody take out a sheet of paper and begin writing a response to the prompt on the board while I take roll. Chris, you are in my third period class, and NOT my first, if I recall correctly."  
  
Chris mumbled something about not knowing that it was time for school to start before quickly scooting out of the classroom and down the hall. The rest of the class stiffled varying degrees of laughter.  
  
Daricio smiled and concentrated on the writing prompt. That had turned out rather well.  
  
Yup... Today was going to be an even better day than she had thought... If that evil didn't show up, that is...  
  
**************************************************************************** *  
  
Daricio: Muahahahahhahahhahaha.... Chappie ending... @_@ Took me long enough...  
  
Malik: Interesting chapter... I thought I was going to finally show up!  
  
Daricio: *shrugs* Next chapter. *looks over chappie* This was a short chappie...  
  
Malik: Not really...  
  
Daricio: Yes it was. *takes out pen and is about to write more on the story when...*  
  
Master Of Dimensions: *begins pelting Daricio with random objects* Just post it!  
  
Daricio: ... Oh, fine.... and- *blink* picks up something that was thrown* are you throwing money at me? *holds up dime* ^_^  
  
MoD: *takes back dime*  
  
Daricio; Anyways, fine I'll post it up, if you promise to stay out of my author notes.  
  
MoD: *nod nod nod* ^_^ *does a cartwheel and a set of flips, then leaves*  
  
Daricio: That was strange...  
  
Malik: *nods* But at least his Yami isn't trying to kill me anymore...  
  
Y.Billy: For now... Muahahahahahahaha... *leaves*  
  
Malik: O.O You need some anti-yami devices on your author notes door, Daricio...  
  
Daricio: Hmm.. I'll see if I can get Mr. Gice to get me one... He's probably got a spare one around here somewhere...  
  
Malik: Get it SOON... *wary look towards the door where Y.Billy has just exited*  
  
Daricio: Yeah, yeah. Anyways, hope you enjoyed my pitifully short chappie after this long wait. If you feel kind, you can send in gifts for next chappie's brithday party for Where's Yugi! ^_^U Reviews would make nice presents, too! Byez!  
  
--Daricio 


	31. Battle City continues, Daricio has a due...

Hello all!  
  
This chappie will probably be somewhat short, but I'll try to make it as long as I can! I'm going to post exactly on the anniversery date, just to have fun. ^_^  
  
Anywhos, Thankies to all who gave loverly presents to everybody!  
  
*knock is heard on the door*  
  
Malik: Who could that be? *goes to open the door*  
  
*Yugi, Yami, Bakura, "Roo", and Mr. Gice all come in*  
  
Yugi: Uh, hello!  
  
Malik: *blink* Hi. What're you doing here? *glance at Daricio* Did she make you be her muses too?  
  
Roo: No, thank goodness. We're here as invited "Guests" to watch this chapter...  
  
Daricio: *thoughtfully* Though, I might soon have Roo be a permanent muse, since he hangs around a few of my chatrooms so much anyway... And since Mr. Gice is my character, I might make him a muse too... Which would make for an interesting variety of characters... Roo, Malik, and Mr. Gice... And maybe Bakura, too, to keep Roo in line...  
  
Roo: -_- Please don't...  
  
Malik: Yes, please don't.  
  
Daricio: *shruggies* Anyways, I brought them here because some of you reveiwers were nice enough to give the characters in the story some gifts! I was going to simply "give" the gifts to the characters by incorperating them into the story, but then there'd be a whole heck of a lot of confusion and insanity due to major sugar rushes on the part of all the characters... ^_^U  
  
Bakura: o.O Considering the strangeness level that this fiction already has, I don't think we need any more confusion...  
  
Daricio: Exactly! So, anyways-  
  
Roo: I'm not going to like the chapter after this one...  
  
Daricio: *blink* Why not?  
  
Roo: Because in it, I-*gets mouth covered with duct tape, courtesy of Daricio* -_- mrrph...  
  
Daricio: No giving away the story. ^_^U Now then, here's all the presents that people gave everybody!  
  
Yami: Why do I get the feeling that "presents" in this case isn't exactly going to be a good thing?  
  
Yugi: I dunno. They probably will be good, though, seeing as they came from reviewers that like this story...  
  
Yami: Somehow, that's what I was afraid of...  
  
Daricio: ^_^U Anyways...  
  
Total Presents for Daricio:  
  
~Lotsa Reviews!  
  
~Uncut subtitled Yu-Gi-Oh  
  
Daricio: YAY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! ^________________^  
  
~Something to hack writer's block with.  
  
Daricio: *weilding weapon* This should be useful. *evil grin*  
  
~SUGAR! AND A MALLET!  
  
Daricio: *blink* ok.... ^_^ Yay! I've got a mallet!  
  
~A Book by Aristotle  
  
Daricio: Readingness...  
  
~An Anti Preppie Device!  
  
Daricio: *weilding new weapon* Muehehehehehehe.... ^_^  
  
~Anti-evil-egginator. (it un-evils your egg.)  
  
Daricio: Oooooooohhh, more useful stuffs! ^_^  
  
~A Magic Pillow.  
  
Daricio: This should be interesting... *places it in a special spot where she can use it if her author powers ever fail her*  
  
~Giant 50 foot Chocolate Cake and 10 liters of Soda Pop  
  
Daricio: o.O Uuuh... *passes cake out to everybody* THIS is gunna last me for a while... ^_^U  
  
~a wish; anything you want.  
  
Daricio: ^__________^ More wish funness. *places wish in same special spot as magic pillow*  
  
~Confetti  
  
Daricio: ^_^ Thanks everybody!  
  
Roo: *has finally gotten duct tape off by now* That was all the gifts?  
  
Daricio: Not quite.. ^_^ Now it's time for YOUR guy's gifts!  
  
Malik: *thinking* These author notes are going to end up way longer then the actual ficcie! How embarassing for Daricio...  
  
Total Presents for Malik:  
  
Malik: uh oh...  
  
~A sheild. There are alot of people out to get you...  
  
Malik: *eyes sheild to make sure that there's no explosives or anything on it, then smiles and sits in the corner with it blocking him from view*  
  
Daricio: Malik-kun, you have to get the rest of your gifts!  
  
Malik: *peeps out from his new "hiding place"* oh, fine...  
  
~A Spear. To go with the sheild.  
  
Malik: ^_^ coool....  
  
~MORE SUGAR! AND A FRYING PAN TO HIT YAMO OVER THE HEAD WITH!(Yamo copyright B/k)  
  
Malik: *giving frying pan a weird look* oookay....  
  
~A Book by Plato  
  
Malik: .... Book..... Ok....  
  
~Daricio: And that's all your presents!  
  
Malik: ok.. *retreats to corner with his Spear and Sheild, leaving his other presents in the middle of the room*  
  
Total presents for Yami:  
  
~A CD containing "I know a song that gets on everybodies nerves."  
  
Yami: *listening to it on Daricio's CD player* Hey, I know this song! *hums along with it*  
  
~Whatever he uses to keep that cape up.  
  
Yami: *blink* But why do I need more paper clips? I have the two required to hold it up... Oh well. *clips paper clips to one of the many belt straps, just so they can hang off and look cool.* ^_^  
  
~SUGAR! AND AN UMBRELLA FOR NO REASON AT ALL!!!  
  
Yami: *holding sugar* uh.... Is this not the stuff that's in the halloween candy that gave me a sugar rush last time?  
  
Yugi: *takes sugar away from Yami and hides it* No sugar rushes for you!  
  
Yami: .... Ok....  
  
Malik: *steals umbrella to use as a "roof" to his "shelter"*  
  
Yami: .... Ok....  
  
~A Book By Kant and A Book By Thomas Aquinas  
  
Yami: .......................... Since when do I like to read?  
  
Daricio: Be happy with it, and take a long time to read it. That's all your presents...  
  
Yami: ... Ok.. That wasn't as bad as I thought it was going to be... ^_^  
  
Total presents for Yugi:  
  
Yugi: This should be interesting...  
  
~A shirt that says, "I'm not short! I'm vertically challenged!"  
  
Yugi: ..... Gee, thanks.. *puts the shirt on*  
  
~Ear Plugs  
  
Yugi: ... *realizes something* YES! Now I don't have to listen to people when they start to become annoying! ^_^  
  
Daricio: Now then...  
  
Yugi: *puts ear plugs in*  
  
Daricio: Your next present is- Yugi, are you listening to me? ... -_- I am now officially charged as "annoying" by Yugi... *ahem* YUGI!!!!!!!!!!!!!!  
  
Yugi: *hears the loud yell through the ear plugs* *takes them out* Yes?  
  
Daricio: Your next present?  
  
Yugi: Oh, right. ^_^  
  
~SUGAR! AND A LEASH! HE CAN DRAG YAMI AROUND!  
  
Yami: o.O I hope not...  
  
Yugi: ^_^ Fun!  
  
Yami: -_- I thought I was DONE...  
  
Yugi: ^_^  
  
~A Book by Frued  
  
Yugi: Who's giving out all the books?  
  
Daricio: Felix...  
  
Yugi: oh...... ok... That it?  
  
Daricio: Yup...  
  
Yugi: ^_^ Ok! *puts leash on Yami and puts earplugs in to drown out Yami's yells as he drags him out of the room and down the sidewalk*  
  
Daricio: o.O  
  
Roo: And I thought I was mean...  
  
Malik: That's a side of Yugi I hadn't seen before...  
  
Total Presents for Bakura:  
  
~Fencing Equipment  
  
Bakura: .... Interesting.... *picks up a few of the swords and things* Somebody's been reading Negative Chaos....  
  
~A cage to put Eb in whenever he gets out of line  
  
Bakura: ^_^ Fun.  
  
Roo: -_- Not fun.  
  
~SUGAR! AND A GIANT BOOK!  
  
Bakura: *blink* Big book? *lugs it into a corner for reading later (not Malik's corner, a different corner)*  
  
~A Book by Keirkagaard  
  
Roo: *looking at author's name* Who comes up with these people's names, anyways?  
  
Bakura: Those are last names. Nobody "picks" them, Roo...  
  
Roo: Don't call me that. -_-  
  
Bakura: ^_^ whatever you say, Roo.  
  
Roo: -_-  
  
Daricio: Ok, last person's presents!  
  
Roo: Me... And seeing as not too many people are very fond of me, I'm willing to bet that-  
  
Total Presents for Roo:  
  
Roo: -they won't be very nice to me...  
  
Daricio: That's a matter of opinion.  
  
~A knife.  
  
Roo: o.O People are actually GIVING me sharp pointy objects to play with? You people are more nuts than I thought.... Nice, but nuts...  
  
~A File.  
  
Roo: what am I going to use this for?.... Oh yeah! To break out of Bakura's cage! *evil grin* Much nicer than I thought...  
  
~SUGAR! AND STEAK! AND SUNGLASSES FOR NO REASON AT ALL!  
  
Roo: mmmmm... *eats steak the way he does in the Japanese version*  
  
Bakura: o.O You have no table manners.  
  
Roo: *munch munch* *talking with mouth full* Sho? Who needsh table mannersh?  
  
Bakura: *rolls eyes*  
  
Roo: *puts on Sunglasses, too* *ignores sugar*  
  
~A Book on the subject of Torture  
  
Roo: *raises eyebrow* There's gotta be a catch to all this... there's gotta be a catch.. gotta... gotta be a catch...  
  
~A Bomb in a Box  
  
Roo: -_- I knew there was a ca-*boom!* *flys up high*  
  
Daricio: ^_^ Don't worry, he'll come down after a while.  
  
Mr. Gice: ... Did I get any presents?  
  
Daricio: No, but I figured you'd want to see this chapter... you know... because you're in it. ^_^  
  
All Mr. Gice fans: YAY!  
  
Mr. Gice: *eyeing fans* One: How'd they get in here? Two: I have fans?  
  
AMGF: ^_^  
  
Daricio: *shoos fans out of room and closes door* ^_^U Now for Review Responses, and then the loverly ficcie!  
  
*************************************************************************  
  
Review Responses:  
  
~Master of Dimentions: Nope, I've decided that you're not. You all cause too much havoc around here for that. I hereby banish you all from my author notes! *banish* Muah!... Not that you can't talk to me on AIM or anything like that, though... just no more intruding on my author notes..  
  
Malik: And by the way.. it's MALIK!!!  
  
~Etheflaed: ^_^ Thankies for all the presents, guys! I'm sure everyone will greatly appreciate your gifts. Also... ^_^ I got this review the day right after the day that I got obsessed with puns, and every time somebody would make a pun, I'd say, "Do the pun dance! Punnie punnie punnie! *jumps around in circles*" ... to which DVD would usually reply with, "Ha, ha, very punnie." to which I'd do the punnie dance... ^_^U I was just a little bit insane that day... Aaand, that was random... But anyways, thanks bunches for reviewing!  
  
~B/k: D/s, I thougth you knew that insults don't work on insane people!  
  
Malik: *randomly* nutty as a fruitcake...  
  
Daricio: ^_^ Thankies! Anyways, thanks for the anti-preppyness! Talk to you later on AIM, ok?  
  
~Perpetually Hyper One: ^_^ Yayz! Thanks for the anti-evil egginator... thingy... *glance at Akaib* Not sure if it worked or not... *kicks computer*  
  
Akaib: *sputter, sputter, dies*  
  
Daricio: -_- *kick*  
  
Akaib: *revives*  
  
Daricio: ^_^U Anyways, talk to you later on AIM as well!  
  
~C.M.Aeris Queen of Insanity: You sound like you need the uncut version, too.. ^_^U Oh, wait, I think you do already... Anyways, Sorry for the short chappie last time.. Malik's this chappie, even if I do use his dub name...  
  
Malik: -_-  
  
Daricio: ^_^U It's not MY fault!  
  
Mr. Gice: It's.. your story, is it not?  
  
Daricio: ^_^UUU Well, yes.. But it's still not my fault.  
  
Mr. Gice: How?  
  
Daricio: *avoids question* ^_^U Anyways, thanks for reviewing...  
  
~dark angel5221: Thanks for the bomb in a box for Roo. ^_^ I think he liked it.  
  
Roo: -_- Riiiiight.... *still blackened*  
  
~Tamera Raymond: Yaaay! Confetti! ^^U Yes, I guess Seeker does sorta sound like Seeky... I got the name from the gameboy game dueling thing... that's what they call him... (better than just calling him "rare hunter" all the time, ne?) *looking at your story* Wow, you have alot of chappies.. How'd you get more chappies than me and yet I've worked on mine longer than you?  
  
Malik: Oh, I dunno, maybe that you.. TAKE A MONTH TO UPDATE EACH TIME???  
  
Daricio: ^_^U That might explain it, yes...  
  
Roo: *rolls eyes*  
  
~Evil Neptune: ^_^U Yesh, it was a short chappie.. My shortest lately... But hey, remember, whenever the days get short, everybody always remembers that Spring's just a little ways off, and then we'll have long days again. *nods wisely*  
  
Mr. Gice: What's that got to do with this?  
  
Daricio: eh... If you wait a few more months, I may start churning out longer chappies?  
  
Mr. Gice:... I see... I think...  
  
Daricio: ^_^U  
  
~MagicPerson14: Erm... ok... Nice to see a new face... ^_^ If you ever have problems coming up with character names, it's really quite easy... (After all, I had to come up with a huge bunch of names for Mr. Gice to use, if you'll recall.) All you have to do is pound on the keyboard, then say the newly formed "word" out loud to see if it's pronunciable. If not, make minor changes by adding/taking away vowels. And, Voila! Name! ^_^ As for teh question of when I'm going to update... It all depends upon how long I want the chapter to be. I like to have long chappies, so I work a long time on them. (Even if they're sometimes not very long...) Also, I don't really type very fast, and when you combine that with writer's block, lots of ficcies to be working on at the same time, and almost zero time to be working on anyhting, you get short chappies that take forever to come out. ^_^U Sorry... Anyways, thanks for reviewing! Tschuss!  
  
~Chikara Takashi: ^___^ Thanks for all the presents! Here's a loverly update for you in exchange! ^_^  
  
~seagirl: Thanks, too for your present! ^_^ I feel so popular. Thanks for saying you know how I feel... It can be hard sometimes, ne? ^_^U Anyways, Yay! I updated! ^__^  
  
~BakaNeko-Chan: Erm, was this update soon enough for you? Guess it didn't help that I got grounded, huh? ^_^U Anyways... *shruggy* I suppose you could say that Chris was trying to be nice... More on that this chappie... Read on!  
  
~The Insane Otaku AKA Caterfree: ^.^ Always glad to update. Just... Slowly, that's all. This chappie be better and longer than last chappie, yah. ^_^ Have fun reading!  
  
*************************************************************************  
  
Daricio: All rightie then. Those are done... First another little note, then we'll start this.  
  
Malik: What a novel idea... starting the ficcie!  
  
Daricio: *rolls eyes* ANYWAYS, Somebody recorded over this particular eppie... and... I know the general idea of what happens, obviously, because I've seen it before, but I have no idea what exactly is said... I'm inevitably going to skip a few things, and the conversation between Yami and Marik is cut extremelly short, but you all know what he said, so why should I have to re-do it anyways, right? Right. (I can't for the life of me figure out how to fit that "the end is near, it's my world now" line into the conversation, or even the "remember my name... Marik." line... So I'm shoving in the lines somewhat randomly, and they're not going to make much sense... *sigh* I liked this scene, too... and now I'm basically murdering it...) Anyhows, with that in mind, here's the ficcie!  
  
Malik: *suspiciously* You're not going to cut it short again, are you?  
  
Daricio: I hope not. Like I said, I'm posting this on the Anniversery date whether I like it or not, but I'm attempting to get this chappie to the end of the first day, at least...  
  
Bakura: Uh, Daricio? Battle City takes place all in one day... You saying you're going to have this chappie make up all of Battle City, minus the finals matches?  
  
Daricio: ^_^U No. I've broken Battle City up into two days, that way I can have Daricio be at school on and off through the whole thing. The first day'll end right after Joey's duel with Evil Underpants, I mean Weevil Underwood, which is right after the Arkana duel... meaning... ^_^ It'll end with Mr. Gice!  
  
Roo: Uh huh...  
  
Mr. Gice: Any particular reason why you're ending the day there?  
  
Daricio: *shrugs* I tried to break it into three days, but that made it so that there were only two duels a day for the first two days, and that's basically just stupid, because most of the duels only took from between a half hour to an hour or so... ^_^U That was a very LONG "little note"...How's about I quit blabbing and let us all get on with reading the ficcie, eh?  
  
Malik: *rolls eyes* Good idea...  
  
************************************************************************* {Yami}  
  
Yami grinned as his Magnet Warrior, powered up by his Summoned Skull, raced forward, crashing into the rare hunter, attacking his life points directly, and taking him down.  
  
"I win." He said simply.  
  
"Yeah! I knew you could do it, Yuge!" Joey shouted victoriously, even though he wasn't the one dueling.  
  
Yami nodded, then walked slowly over to the collapsed rare hunter. He picked up his deck and began shuffling through it. when he came to the Red Eyes, he took it out, then looked at the other cards in his ex-opponant's deck.  
  
He looked closely at the Exodia pieces, wishing that Weevil jerk hadn't thrown his and Yugi's own set overboard, and only faintly listening to Joey's continued cheering. The Exodia pieces were really hard to get, in this world at any rate. Sort of like the Blue Eyes cards. Only a certain amount of them had been created.  
  
In fact, with his own set now currently at the bottom of the ocean, getting three totally new sets all in one deck was extremely close to impossible...  
  
Wait..  
  
"Something's coming off on my fingers..." Yami commented aloud, rubbing his index finger and thumb together. "These cards are fake!"  
  
Joey blinked, pausing his cheering for a moment, then grinning once more. "Yeah! I knew this creep was a cheat!"  
  
"Well, no more!" Yami said, ripping the cards in half both ways and flinging the pieces up into the air.  
  
From the doorway, Daricio shook her head. //Was that really necessary?// She asked.  
  
//Well, no.// Yami admitted. //But it was fun.//  
  
//And it looked cool.// Yugi added.  
  
Daricio rolled her eyes. //Boys...// she turned around and was just about to exit the room and return to her soul room so that she didn't become late for her next class, when the rare hunter suddenly decided that he hadn't humiliated himself enough yet and got up on his knees, holding his head in his hands, leaning backwards, and screaming loudly.  
  
Daricio turned back, confusion and slight amusement on her face. "Weirdo..."  
  
Joey looked like he held about the same opinion. "This guy's a nutcase!"  
  
The screams very suddenly transformed themselves into semi-clear words. "No! Master! I'm sorry! Please! I... I tried my best! Please! Master! Noooooo!!!!" He let go of his head, and it dropped down. He stared blankly at the sidewalk.  
  
Daricio blinked. "I'll have to agree with Joey on that one... 'master'?"  
  
Yami shrugged and opened his mouth to respond, and then the rare hunter began to chuckle.  
  
The chuckle grew louder and soon the rare hunter was on his feet, laughing insanely, still looking down at the ground. He looked up at Yami and narrowed his eyes at him. "So, we meet again, Pharaoh."  
  
His voice was deeper than it had been a second ago, sounding almost like two voices talking at the same time, and his eyes were blank, without any pupils. Yugi involentarily shuddered.  
  
Yami blinked at the name. "Who are you?" he asked suspiciously.  
  
The rare hunter laughed again. "Actually, I'm not surprised that you don't know who I am. You were locked inside the puzzle when I dueled little Yugi."  
  
Joey glanced at Yami, not even bothering trying to lower his voice so as not to be rude towards the obviously mentally disturbed person. "Yuuuuuge.... What's with this guy?"  
  
Yami shot Joey a look that told him to shut up for a second and then repeated his question to the rare hunter. "Who are you? And what do you want?"  
  
The rare hunter smirked. "I want what rightfully belongs to me. Your Millennium Puzzle! As for who I am, let me give you a bit of advice. Remember my name... Marik!"  
  
"Marik!" Yami repeated, not sounding very surprised.  
  
The rare hunter nodded. "Yes. This rare hunter has failed me. I have sent his mind to the Shadow Realm as a punishment. Now I control his every move!"  
  
He jerked suddenly, seeming to almost fly through the air, flailing around like a limp rag doll being thrown around by an extremely insane twisted little girl.  
  
Yami growled, his eyes opening wide.  
  
//Of course! Why didn't I think of it before? That's the guy who dueled Yugi at that abandoned warehouse! He's after the Millennium Puzzle!// Daricio remembered. //He's obviously the great evil that Isis spoke of!//  
  
//And he can mind control, too. Remember Bandit Keith? That's what's going on here...// Yugi added.  
  
Yami gave a small mental nod to acknowledge that he had heard them, then returned his attention to the mind controlled Rare Hunter, who had stopped flailing. "I can assure you of one thing, Marik, no matter how hard you try, you'll never get my puzzle."  
  
Marik laughed. "You don't understand, I want more than the puzzle. I want the Pharaoh's power. The key to this infinite power lies not only in your puzzle, but in the three Egyptian God Cards as well. I already have two, and the other will soon be within my grasp... "  
  
//Only because of Isis and Kaiba...// Daricio mumbled to herself.  
  
Marik continued talking. "With the power of the Ancient Pharaoh in my hands, I shall weild total and absolute power. I will reign over all, and the entire world shall tremble at my feet! The end is near for you, Pharaoh... It's my world now!"  
  
Yami frowned. "Not if I can help it." he growled.  
  
Marik smirked. "This shan't be the last time we meet. This rare hunter is only the weakest of the group I control. Soon, another of my minions will find you, and you will duel! Prepare yourself, Yami. And know this: I will win. I will gain what is rightfully mine. I WILL be pharaoh!"  
  
Yami growled again and stepped back as the rare hunter's eyes went blank and he fell forwards onto his face.  
  
"Great way to start..." Joey mumbled to himself. "Knock yourself out..."  
  
The crowd that was gathered around stared from Yami to the Rare Hunter for a while, before quickly becoming bored with the unconscious person lying there on the ground and going back to doing what they had been doing before: looking for a good duel to watch.  
  
Yami looked up at Joey, holding out the Red Eyes card. "Here, Joey. Your Red-Eyes Black Dragon."  
  
Joey blinked, then looked away. "Nah, Yuge. You keep it."  
  
"But Joey-"  
  
"It's yours. You won it fair and square. Besides, if these rare hunters are as great and powerful as I've heard, then they're bound to have tons of really powerful, rare cards in their decks..." He looked down at Yami. "You'll need all the help you can get. And it'll be cool this way, cause it'll be like a part of me is in your deck! It's pretty neat knowing I'm helping you save the world an all..."  
  
Yami smiled. "Thank you, Joey. I'll take good care of your Red-Eyes Black Dragon."  
  
"No problem. Together, you and I are gunna whoop this Marik creep! He'll be sorry he ever decided to mess wit us!"  
  
Yami nodded. "Good luck, Joey." The two shook hands.  
  
Joey also nodded. "You too. I'll see you around."  
  
The two turned around and headed off in opposite directions.  
  
************************************************************************  
  
(A/N: Yay for short stupid summerizations of extremely important scenes... V_V)  
  
************************************************************************  
  
{Daricio} (This ist a little bit later)  
  
Daricio frowned as she walked out of her third period class and headed toward her locker so she could go to class.  
  
//You JUST left him, and now you're going to go back and watch him duel? What, don't you trust him to be able to do this by himself?// She asked Yami mentally.  
  
He had just seen a group of kids run by, talking about Joey Wheeler dueling, and now he was off to go watch as well...  
  
//It's not that I don't trust him...// Yami said defensively. //I just want to see, that's all... It's better than running aimlessly around the city waiting for another one of Marik's Rare hunters to show up, like we've been doing for the past half an hour...//  
  
Daricio shrugged. //Just make sure he doesn't see you, or he'll think what I thought. That you don't think he can hold his own without help from you.//  
  
Yami and Yugi nodded at the same time.  
  
"Right." Yami said to himself. //So where can we go that he won't see us?//  
  
//Well, one thing I've found over the years is that people have a tendancy of never looking up. I've played many a game of hide and seek, hiding up in the top of my closet, and people will open the closet door, look around, and still not find m- What?// Daricio stopped, noticing that Yugi was giving her a strange look.  
  
//Hide and seek, Daricio?// Yugi asked, grinning.  
  
Daricio shrugged. "Hey, I have a younger brother, a younger sister, and an older brother that often acts like a younger brother. What do you expect me to be doing with my time while they play? Sit around reading Shakespearian novels?" she muttered aloud.  
  
Yugi laughed. //True.//  
  
"Shakespeare wrote plays, not novels." Josh said suddenly, coming up beside her. "And who are you talking to?"  
  
Daricio blushed, returning her attention to where she was walking. She now realized that she had walked past her locker, and would now have to turn around to get to it. "Same difference. And I was talking to myself, thanks."  
  
Josh grinned, holding out his hand as if holding a small notebook and a pencil, then putting on a funny accent, said, "And just how long have you been talking to yourself like this, Miss Daricio? Do you also hear voices in your head to go along with this habit?"  
  
Daricio laughed, shoving him slightly and turning around to go to her locker. "Yes, yes I do."  
  
Josh whirled around as well, still smiling at her. "Avoiding me now?"  
  
"No! I just accidently walked past my locker, that's all." Daricio said, grinning.  
  
"Ah, I see."  
  
"Really! See?" She walked up to her locker and began twisting the lock.  
  
"Uh huh... Well, I'll see ya later, Daricio. I'm probably late to class. I've got a different lunch than you, ya know."  
  
Daricio waved to him. "Bye!"  
  
He walked off, and Daricio returned her attention to her locker.  
  
//But my point is, if you want somebody to not see you, then you have to go somewhere high up. So, a roof, or a balcony...// Daricio said, continuing the conversation as if she hadn't stopped it in the first place.  
  
Yugi nodded, still grinning. //All right, most of the businesses around here let you up on the roofs whenever parades and stuff come through, so maybe they'll let us up there now.//  
  
//It's worth a try.// Yami said. He walked off toward a building that he thought had a view of where Joey would be dueling at.  
  
Daricio's locker was being stubborn again, and she banged on it hard, hopping to jar it open. It didn't work, so she sighed and twisted the lock once again. It finally opened after three more attempts, and she swung her backpack off her shoulder, opened it, and began to dump the books in it into her locker.  
  
Once her backpack was rid of it's more mathematical contents, she pulled her lunch and her Yu-Gi-Oh cards out of the locker, and put them inside her backpack. She then slammed the locker shut, stood up, then completed her act by kicking the locker, hard, to shut the botton left corner of the locker that liked to refuse to close, and then finally headed up to the "dueling corner."  
  
Sitting down in an actual corner of the hallway and taking out her lunch, she glanced around to see if anybody was watching her.  
  
Strangely, nobody was. Finally, a day in which she wasn't going to get kicked out of here by the other kids...  
  
She ate quickly, listening as Yugi talked to the store manager, who finally agreed to let them up on the roof. On the way up the stairs, they met a kid, who had obviously snuck up there without permission, coming down.  
  
Yami stopped him briefly, "Hey, can you see the duel down there from up here?"  
  
The kid nodded. "Yup! Didja hear who it was dueling? Some cool guy named Espa Roba just beat the heck out of Rex Raptor, and now he's going against Joey Wheeler. Espa's got ESP, and he uses it to duel!"  
  
Daricio grinned. //Yeah, so what? My CD Player's got ESP, too. Big deal.//  
  
//Wrong kind of ESP, Daricio...// Yugi said, shaking his head. //Somehow, I doubt Espa has Electro-Shock Protection...//  
  
//I knew that.// Daricio told him. //I was joking.//  
  
The kid continued going down the stairs after a called out "See ya!" and Yami went up to the top. He blinked in the sunlight, then walked to the edge, looking down at the duel below.  
  
"Hey, Daricio."  
  
Daricio was suddenly snapped back to her world by the sound of a voice, and she blinked, looking up. It was Chris again.  
  
"Hi." she said. "What do you want?" She could feel the eyes of all in the room carefully trained on her once again.  
  
Chris pulled out his deck box. "Do you want to duel me? You know, a rematch, sort of?"  
  
Daricio frowned. "Ok, I guess..."  
  
There was some random chattering from the people watching this, and then Chris sat down, put his deck on the floor, and the duel began.  
  
"8000 life points. You can go first, Daricio." He said, drawing his hand of five cards.  
  
Daricio nodded. "Fine..." She drew six cards.  
  
//Want help?// Yugi asked.  
  
//No, not really. You go watch Joey.// She replied. //I'm just glad to be dueling with my deck again...//  
  
"I'll play Ookazi and Hinotama to start with. That takes off a total of 1300 life points from your life points. Then I'll play a card face-down and a card in defense." She announced. She grinned, enjoying her burner deck's effect on her opponant.  
  
Chris nodded. "Fine then." He plunked in his lifepoint loss on his calculator, and drew a card for his turn. "I'm just going to put a card face down in defense, and magic/trap card face down. Your move."  
  
Daricio drew her card. //hmm.... My first face down monster was Cyber Jar, so I don't really want to play anything else, because if he gets a monster out and attacks it, it'll destroy the other card, too.//  
  
"Pass. Your move."  
  
Chris grinned. "No good cards to play, huh?"  
  
"Just go."  
  
"Fine." He looked at his hand. "I'll play defense again. Go."  
  
Daricio drew. //Sangan! Perfect! Now if he attacks Cyber Jar, it'll send Sangan to the graveyard, activating his effect!// She played it face down. "Go."  
  
"Once again, I'll play defense. Your move."  
  
Chris now had three defense monsters on the field. Daricio sighed. Besides her burner cards, her deck was also mostly made up of effect and defense, meaning that her strategies usually only worked when she was being attacked.  
  
//He had better start actually attacking me...// She thought, drawing another card. //Or I'm never going to get around to doing anything..//  
  
"I'll pass again. Go."  
  
By now, there was a semi-large crowd watching, and it was making Daricio nervous. Especially with all of Chris' face down cards. There was no way of knowing what he had down there...  
  
"I'll play the magic card, Goblin's Secret Remedy, which increases a selected person's life points by 600. I choose me, of course. Then I'll play another defense monster and end my turn."  
  
Daricio nodded. //Healing cards. Right. He's got a healing/defense deck. Well, if I pass again, nothing will happen, and so I'll go ahead and play a defense monster.//  
  
"I'll play a card in defense mode. Go."  
  
Chris looked down at the now crowded field. "hmm... I'll play one card in defensive mode, and-"  
  
Someone in the crowd, a boy Daricio didn't recognize, scoffed. "This is boring! Somebody DO something already!"  
  
Chris rolled his eyes. "Fine, I will. Flip Guardian of the Throne Room into attack mode! I'll attack your center face down, Daricio!"  
  
Daricio grinned. "That would be my Cyber Jar."  
  
Chris frowned. "Blast it all... Literally..." he murmered, scooping all his cards currently on the field into his graveyard. He picked up five cards and showed them. Daricio did the same, after destroying her own monsters.  
  
Chris glared at his cards before laying down a face down monster and a Dragon Zombie in attack mode. Daricio layed two monsters in defense mode and placed a card from her deck into her hand because of Sangan's effect.  
  
"Just go now." he said furiously.  
  
//Ok, with my face down card, I can destroy his attacking monster, and also skip my draw phase, which'll be good with all these cards in my hand, and then I can summon La Jinn from my hand to destroy his face down. Then next turn, I can activate the two flip effects that I have, and sacrifice them for my Blue Eyes. Then I can attack directly, unless he has something face down that I have to worry about...// Daricio thought to herself.  
  
//Sounds like a good plan to me.//  
  
//I told you to go watch Joey's duel with Mr. CD Player, Yugi.//  
  
Yugi shrugged. //Your duel's more exciting. Besides, Yami says he's doing fine so far.//  
  
Daricio outwardly frowned at Yugi's comment and began to carry out her plan. "I'll activate my facedown card, "Offerings to the Doomed." I get to destroy one face up monster on the field in exchange for-"  
  
"I KNOW what it does, Daricio." Chris grumbled, placing his Dragon Zombie in the graveyard. "I'm not stupid."  
  
//Coulda fooled me.// Daricio thought. "Now I play La Jinn in attack mode. I'll attack your face down."  
  
Chris smirked. "Princess of Tsurugi! You take..." his smirk faded. "Nothing. You have no magic/trap cards on the field... Blast!"  
  
He scowled at the card and tossed it into the graveyard. Daricio smiled. "Your move."  
  
"Three facedown magic/traps. Dark Zebra in attack mode to guard my lifepoints. Go."  
  
//Won't he be in for a surprise when I activate my own Princess of Tsurugi? Hmm.. He thinks he's safe from me, but he won't be when I get my Blue Eyes out!//  
  
"I flip Princess of Tsurugi! You take 2000 damage!" Daricio said, throwing her own smirk at him.  
  
He continued scowling at her. "I'll activate Gift of the Mystical Elf. I gain life points for each monster on the field. Now what?"  
  
"I also flip Penguin Soldier! I'll send your Dark Zebra back to your hand. Now you're wide open for a direct attack! But that's not all!" Daricio said dramatically, trying to act like Yami. "I tribute my Penguin Soldion and my Princess to bring out... The Blue Eyes White Dragon!"  
  
//And you better not have a trap hole down... If you do, I'll kill you...// Daricio thought hopefully at him, knowing that he couldn't hear her.  
  
Chris quickly flipped through all his facedowns, checking to see if he could defend himself. He sighed. "Now you attack with Blue Eyes, right?"  
  
Daricio nodded. "Blue Eyes! Direct attack!"  
  
"Not so fast. Waboku!"  
  
Daricio frowned. "So you did have something down..."  
  
"Yup. This ends battle phase, so you can't attack me directly until your next turn." Chris said.  
  
"Mm-hmm..." Daricio murmured. "Fine, I'll end my turn then."  
  
Chris nodded. "Now I can put a little bit of defense in. One card. Your move."  
  
Daricio grinned. "Blitz time! I summon Hayabusa Knight! He can attack twice per battle phase with 1000 attack. I'll attack your face down card with La Jinn."  
  
Chris discarded it immedietly to the graveyard. It was a wimpy Darkfire Soldier #1.  
  
"Now, Blue Eyes attack directly! Hayabusa attack directly twice! That's a total of 5000 direct damage to you!" Daricio almost shouted.  
  
Chris grimaced. "Thank goodness we started at 8000 life points instead of 4000 like Battle City rules, or I'd be dead..."  
  
//That's what I was about to say.// Yugi commented, smiling as well. //Nice move, Daricio.//  
  
//Thanks. I'll wipe him out next turn.// Daricio said confidently.  
  
"Your move, Chris!"  
  
Chris drew his card for his turn, frowned, and played it in defense mode. "Go." He glared at Daricio, as if daring her to finish him off.  
  
//Wait... Maybe I shouldn't beat him...// Daricio thought suddenly.  
  
//Why not? You've got him down!" Yugi told her.  
  
//But... With all the rumors about me already, maybe it'll just make everything worse if he gets mad at me.// Daricio worried, her hand hesitating over the Wall of Illusion in her hand that she had just been about to summon to the field.  
  
//Hmm... Good point. Save him for a turn, give him a chance for a comeback. If he doesn't make it, then wipe him out. Just so you can say you gave him a chance.// Yugi suggested.  
  
//That may work.// Daricio agreed.  
  
"I'll play Wall of Illusion in attack mode and end my turn." She said.  
  
Chris gave her a funny look. "You too scared to attack me?" he asked her.  
  
"Mercy Move! Mercy Move!! Come on! You can get back at her! Do it!" Somebody in the crowd said.  
  
Chris drew for his turn. "I'll just keep playing defense." he announced, throwing yet another card in defense mode. "Go."  
  
Daricio drew. //Magician of Faith! This'll be good... I can get back the Offerings to the Doomed, in case he actually gets a monster in there.//  
  
She played it face down. "Go."  
  
"She's toying with you again! Go on Chris! Whup her!"  
  
"He can't Whup her, idiot! She's got control of the field!"  
  
"So?"  
  
Daricio tuned out the arguing, and instead focused on Chris's move.  
  
"I flip: Hiro's Shadow scout! You draw three cards, and discard any of them that are magic cards." Chris said. "Hope you weren't waiting for anything..."  
  
Daricio drew her three cards. The only magic card was a Dian Keto the Cure Master. "Sorry Chris. No harm done."  
  
Chris frowned again. "So? Flip: Big Eye! I get to rearange the top five cards on my deck." He did so quickly, then tuned back to what he was doing.  
  
//The only reason he would flip these into attack mode with my Blue Eyes on the field would be if he were about to sacrifice them for something...// Daricio thought. //Too bad I have no trap holes down...//  
  
"Now, I'll place one face down monster in defense mode. I'll attack Dark Energy to my Big Eye and attack the Wall of Illusion!" Chris said. "Your move."  
  
Daricio stared at him, slowly placing her Wall of Illusion into the graveyard. "You're weird, you know that. Your Dark Energy was just destroyed, you lost life points, Big Eye was sent back to your hand, and now you have a Hiro Shadow Scout in attack mode in front of a Blue Eyes, a Hayabusa Knight, and a La Jinn, and you're now about to die."  
  
Chris shrugged. "Or so you think. Just go."  
  
Daricio grinned. "My pleasure. First, I'll play a card in defense mode. Then, I'll attack Hiro's Scout with Hayabusa Knight. It's destroyed. I'll spare you again, Chris, and end my turn."  
  
"Quit with the mercy moves and just finish him off, Daricio!" Somebody called. "You can do it!"  
  
"Naw, he's gunna whup her!"  
  
"No he's not, stupid!"  
  
Chris looked at his hand. "One defense, one magic/trap. Your move."  
  
Daricio grinned. //Think I should finish him off, now?//  
  
//Go for it.// Yugi urged.  
  
"I'll place one magic/trap face down, and then I'll flip Magician of Faith. I get Offerings to the Doomed back. I'll also flip my face-down Spear Cretin. I'll sacrifice both of them for a second Blue Eyes!"  
  
"Trap hole!"  
  
"I'll use Spear Cretin's effect on the Blue Eyes you just destroyed with that trap hole, thanks."  
  
"Hey! Is that even allowed?"  
  
Daricio paused. "I think so." She looked around at the crowd. "What does everybody think?"  
  
"Aw, just let her keep it. She'll blow him away anyways." One kid said. The rest agreed. Daricio grinned and turned back to Chris.  
  
"I'll attach Black Pendant to Hayabusa Knight, raising his attack points to- "  
  
"Fairy's Hand Mirror. I'll equip it to my facedown monster instead.  
  
"What?" Daricio blinked. "That's not-... You can't equip things to face down cards!"  
  
"So? Who cares?"  
  
Daricio gave him an annoyed look. "Me."  
  
Chris glared at her. "Just let me do it this one duel, so you don't totally blitz me."  
  
A few people in the crowd laughed. Daricio wasn't sure whether this was because she was winning, or because Chris was begging for mercy.  
  
Daricio smirked. "All right, I'll let you keep that, then. For two seconds! Now I activate Mystical Space Typhoon on the Black Pendant. Because it's MY card, and it's sent to the graveyard, you lose 500 life points."  
  
Chris frowned. "You suck." he grumbled, subtracting his lifepoints on the calculator so that it read 1200 life points remaining. Daricio still had all 8000 life points in tact.  
  
"Now, my first Blue Eyes will attack your face down card!"  
  
"Princess of Tsurugi, which was brough back by your Spear Cretin! This time, you DO have cards on the field. You take 1500 points of damage."  
  
Daricio shrugged. "Oh well. Now I'll attack your other card with La Jinn!"  
  
//Why not with Blue Eyes?//  
  
//Just in case he's got a destroyer card down.//  
  
"Steel Scorpion! La Jinn will die in two turns!"  
  
//Oh, you mean like that?//  
  
//Yeah, exactly like that.//  
  
"Fine. Now I'll attack another face down with Hayabusa knight."  
  
"Big Eye. Big Eye's defense equals Pigeon Boy's attack, so nothing happens."  
  
//Ok, one more face down, then he's wide open. Here's hopeing there's no more steel scorpions in his deck.// Daricio mumbled. "Blue Eyes, attack the last face down card."  
  
Chris discarded it to the graveyard. "Dancing Fairy."  
  
"Go. Let's see if you can defend yourself now!"  
  
"I can, and I will! Your La Jinn's going to die soon, and I can easily take out your other monsters as well!"  
  
"We'll just see. Move."  
  
Chris glared, and drew his card. "I play Giant Trunade, to get rid of any traps you had been planning to spring on me, then I'll play one magic/trap card, and one card face down. Your move."  
  
Daricio grinned. "That's it? All right, you are now officially a barbaqued marshmallow. First, I'll sacrifice La Jinn for the Summoned Skull! Then-"  
  
"Activate Just Desserts. You take 2500 life point damage."  
  
"Ouch. Oh well. Hayabusa will attack your face down card." Her life points were now down to 4000, but it didn't matter.  
  
Chris sighed and discarded his Dark Zebra to the graveyard. "Then?"  
  
"You know what then, Chris. The Summoned Skull will attack and destroy your Big Eye. Then, you get attacked directly by two Blue Eyes, and my Hayabusa Knight! You better be glad that this isn't Battle City, or you would be very much ouchied right now."  
  
A general cheer went up from the crowd. Daricio grinned, loking around at everybody. Chris silently gathered up his cards, his eyes trained mostly on the floor.  
  
"Good duel." Daricio said, offering a hand to Chris. Chris looked up at her. The determination was gone from his eyes, and fortunatelly, what replaced that determination wasn't anger, but friendship. He took her hand, and they shook.  
  
"No hard feelings? About all the rumors, I mean?" Chris asked. He had apparently heard a few of them.  
  
Daricio's smile was half sad. "Sure. No hard feelings. But don't expect me to exactly be nice to you, either."  
  
"All right." Chris smiled. "I wouldn't expect you to. I got to go. I'll see ya around, ok?"  
  
"Sure. Bye." Daricio turned back to the crowd, which had now begun to disperse. Daricio got the general feeling that they had wanted the two of them to fight again, and that they were disappointed.  
  
//Good duel.// Yugi said.  
  
Daricio shrugged. //Too easy. I need more of a challange.//  
  
Yugi grinned. //That shouldn't be too hard to arrange. Look.//  
  
Daricio looked up. There were at least three people in front of her asking her to duel. Daricio grinned as well. This would be much fun.  
  
********************************************************  
  
{Yami}  
  
(Again, this tis a little bit later...)  
  
Yami was now wandering the streets of downtown Domino once again. Both Joey's duel and Daricio's duels had all ended a long time ago. In fact, Daricio was now walking home from her school.  
  
It was strange, but even with all of Marik's many warnings and other rantings that he had given to them, there hadn't even been mention of the group of Rare Hunters by anybody for the past almost three hours...  
  
It was almost as if Marik couldn't find them... Or maybe he was just simply preparing himself for them. Or... something.  
  
"You look like you're looking for someone." A voice jarred Yami out of his thoughts and he looked up quickly. "Not that I really care who you might be looking for. I'm just a humble messenger here to tell you that there is somebody else who is looking for you."  
  
Yami spotted the person who was speaking. There was a man dressed up in a strange clown costume, grinning at him from where he was standing, half shrouded in the shadow of a nearby tree.  
  
"What do you mean?" Yami asked, wondering if this clown meant Marik.  
  
The clown bowed low, waving his hands dramatically as he did so. "Just go that direction, into that tent over there, and you shall see what I mean."  
  
He stepped backwards and faded into the shadows.  
  
Yami blinked. //Tent? What tent?// He looked around. //Oh, that tent. Ok, well, I'll go into the tent, then.//  
  
He began walking forward, his eyes remaining trained on the tent's opening. Something was... odd here... He couldn't quite put his finger on it...  
  
//Yami, you do realize you're probably walking right into a trap? Most likely one that Marik has set up?// Daricio asked him. Her voice, for some reason, sounded faint. Far away. Insignificant. It didn't mean anything.  
  
He continued walking forward. All that really mattered right now was finding out what that clown thought he wanted in that tent...  
  
"Hey, there he is... Yugi!" Yami head Tea call out to him, but her voice seemed as far away as Daricio's had.  
  
//Yami, you ok?// Yugi asked him. Yami didn't answer, instead continuing walking towards the tent.  
  
There was something in there.... He could sense it now, using the powers of the Millennium Puzzle. Something in there... Something that he had to see...  
  
//Yugi, something's wrong...// Daricio said.  
  
//I noticed.// Yugi replied somewhat dryly. //Yami!//  
  
Yami entered the tent and looked around, the puzzle glowing just enough to cast strange shadows here and there. As far as he could tell, the tent was entirely empty, except for a large object in the center.  
  
This object was what the powers he could sense were coming from. This was the something that Yami had to check out. He continued walking inside, not bothering to glance around the room to make absolutely sure that there was nobody there, suddenly deeming this act as being unuseful, for some reason.  
  
All caution that Yami usually took in matters like these was suddenly gone, and he strode confidently towards the box, feeling absolutely sure that he would find what he was looking for.  
  
Bright lights were flicked on, illuminating the stand that the large object, a box, was sitting on. Yami didn't even flinch at these lights, instead continuing forward towards the box.  
  
The door on the box, which looked strangely like that on the card "Mystic Boxes" opened slowly, and Yami went unhesitently inside, waiting to see what would happen next.  
  
"He went in that box!" Tea said to somebody. The door on the Mystic Boxes contraption closed shut with a sudden slam, cutting off whatever else Tea had to say.  
  
The floor underneath Yami suddenly dropped out from underneath him, and he fell, yelling as he did so. The apparently soundproof boxes blocked out what he was yelling to anybody else's ears.  
  
Yami didn't fall very far, however, only about 6 feet, until he landed hard on a carpeted floor below. He heard the floor above him, now the ceiling to him, close back up again, followed by a semi-large whump sound.  
  
The caution that had previously deserted him all came rushing back, and Yami wondered how in the world he got into this stupid mess as he pulled himself to his feet and looked around at where he was.  
  
"I hate falling..." he mumbled to himself.  
  
//I knew this was a trap...// Yugi said to himself.  
  
Yami blinked. "Huh?"  
  
//Trap. T-R-A-P. Traaaaaa-//  
  
Yami rolled his eyes. "I know what he said, Daricio."  
  
//Why, hello Yami! Welcome back to the world of the living! Wish to tell us what just happened back there?// Daricio said somewhat sarcastically.  
  
//Sorry.// Yami said. //I.... I think I was in some sort of a trance...//  
  
//Sure looked that way, Yami. It's all right. Let's just see if we can get out of here...// Yugi said. He turned to Daricio. //Don't be so hard on him.//  
  
//Fine, then. Next time, I'll just simply sit back and let him do whatever he pleases...// Daricio said, starting back into her own soul room.  
  
Yami sighed, and continued checking the small room he was in. It didn't take him long after that to find that there was a door leading out of this room, and he quickly opened it and stepped into the next room.  
  
In this room, one that was, if anything, even smaller than the one he was just previously in, was a computer console.  
  
Daricio looked at the strange screen through Yugi's eyes in slight astonishment from where she was standing at her soul room door.  
  
"Hacking into KaibaCorp mainframe..." it told them almost icily, its staticy screen flickering as it worked. "Done. Accessing Battle City Profile: Yugi Moto. Star level: 5. Rarest card: Dark Magician."  
  
Yami blinked at the screen, unsure whether he was supposed to say something to this computer, who's still flickering screen was now flashing a picture of Yugi at him.  
  
He didn't have to think about it very long, however...  
  
For his thoughts were interupted by a high pitched evil sounding cackle.  
  
**********************************************************************  
  
{Daricio}  
  
Daricio stared in shock at the strange blue disks that the rare hunter Arkana had called Dark Disks.  
  
//They do WHAT???// she yelped. //Send us to the shadow realm???//  
  
She didn't wait for anybody to answer her question, instead turning on her heel and retreating into her soul room. "That does it."  
  
"Daricio, wait!" Yugi called, jogging up next to her. "What are you doing? I thought you were going to stay and help us out here! Cheer us on!"  
  
Daricio shook her head. //I've got a better idea.// She said, opening her physical eyes. "That Arkana guy thinks that by threatening us with those Dark Disks, he'll have an advantage against us."  
  
She stood and began looking for something in her closet. "Well, he's got another thing coming."  
  
//What do you mean?// Yugi asked.  
  
"Who's Arkana?" Shells asked at the same time. She was standing just inside the doorway, looking as though she was just coming into the room.  
  
Daricio blinked and glanced over at Shells. "Oh, Hi Shells. Didn't see you there. I was talking to Yugi. Arkana is one of Marik's rare hunters."  
  
Shells frowned. "They've finally showed up, huh?" she asked.  
  
"Yup." Daricio replied, turning back to her closet.  
  
//What are you looking for?//  
  
"What are you looking for?"  
  
Shells and Yugi spoke at almost exactly the same time, and Daricio stifled a small laugh. "I'm looking for my Yugi tin."  
  
Shells smiled. "It's under the bed."  
  
"It is? Oh. Thanks." Daricio looked, and sure enough, there it was. "I'm going to have to use this soon." she murmured to herself.  
  
//What for?//  
  
//So that if that Dark Disk gets to close to you two, I can warp you out of there before it makes contact.// She replied. She spoke again before Yugi could say anything. //And I don't care if it's cheating or not, Yugi. If Marik can kidnap the world's best duelist and still not be disqualified, then I can do whatever I can to keep you safe.//  
  
Yugi sighed. //All right, fine. I'm still going to see if I can talk him out of all this, though.//  
  
//And that's fine, too.// Daricio watched as Yugi went back through the link to Yami.  
  
"What do you need it for?" Shells asked.  
  
"Tell ya later. What did you come up here for?"  
  
"Huh?" Shells looked temporarily confused, then she smiled. "Oh yeah. Coem downstairs, we're missing Yu-Gi-Oh!"  
  
Daricio blinked. Would she be able to watch an episode of Yu-Gi-Oh and pay attention to Yugi's duel with Arkana both at the same time?  
  
"You go ahead and go watch it, Shells. Make sure Jrj's recording it. I have to concentrate up here, that all right?" She said.  
  
Shells nodded. "Ok." She turned and disapeared out the door and down the stairs.  
  
**********************************************************************  
  
{Mr. Gice}  
  
Mr. Gice sighed and switched off the machinery in front of him, pushing it away slightly. He had been working with the RWC constantly for what seemed like years by now, and it still simply refused to comply with his wish for it to complete the transfer to the freaky world.  
  
Now, he was going to take a break. His frustration with the whole thing was overcoming his need to finish the project, and besides that, he was hungry.  
  
He walked slowly to the lab door and flicked off the light, heading up the stairs to the main living quarters of his house.  
  
Halfway up the stairs, he stopped, looking back over his shoulder at the dimly lit room below.  
  
Mr. Gice's laboratory used to be simply his basement, until he had stopped using it for storage and had cleaned it out and converted it into a science lab. Because it used to be a basement, it had no windows at all, and he had turned off all his machines, so when he had the lights off, it was always pitch black inside.  
  
Except for right now...  
  
Something down there was glowing... Mr. Gice grabbed a pair of thick gloves from off the wall and stepped quickly back into the room, looking around slowly to see if he could find the source of the dim light.  
  
It didn't take him very long to find it, and he flicked the lights back on and jogged over to the counter where he had seen the light.  
  
When he saw exactly what it was that had been glowing, he groaned.  
  
It was his RWC.  
  
It was lying motionless on the table right next to an Electromagnetic Magnesium-Carbohydrate strip, where he had laid it after his escape from the mental institution. Both were covered in what looked like a strange sticky goo, and this goo was what had been putting forth the eerie glow.  
  
Mr. Gice looked over the mess scrutinizingly, trying to figure out what had happened. When he reached a conclusion, he sighed. "Looks like the instability of the compository elements that make up the plastical coverings of the Electromagnetic Magnesium-Carbohydrate strips has combined with the force of constant magnatism radiating within the RWC to cause the leakage of electromagnetic gamma radiation from the strips, and this radiatic goo has penetrated the open shell of the RWC, and has, in all probability, destroyed both mechanisms!"  
  
(A/N: Try saying that five times fast)  
  
Mr Gice grimaced at the mass of glowing goop and peered into the RWC to inspect the damage. "Now we just have to hope that we can fix this..."  
  
He picked up a rag that he was sure he never wanted to use again, and began to clean up the inside of his RWC.  
  
Scraping the already slightly hardened goo away from one of the more minor componants, Mr. Gice suddenly noticed something about it.  
  
The goo had seeped it's way inside the small componant and had... done something to it... Mr. Gice wasn't sure what.  
  
He put the rag down and began simply observing this one piece. There was something about this... Something important... Mr. Gice's already tired mind raced even faster than it had been all day. What was it?  
  
Suddenly he blinked, the pieces in his head clicking into place with an almost audible "thunk."  
  
"Of course!" He shouted to nobody in particular. "Of course! Radiation! Why didn't I think of it before??? With this radiactiveness added to the main compository elements, then that will eventually combine even further with the magnetic pull of the primary electronic boosters and create just the sort of antireactant conditions that I need to maniputlate the threads of space time just enough for the RWC to go crossworlds!"  
  
(A/N: And that, too. ^__^)  
  
Mr. Gice grinned from ear to ear. If his new calculations from this were correct, he could have this thing, which he had been working on for forever and a day, completed by tonight!  
  
With that, he swooped the rag up and finished cleaning the exterior and counters, then put the coverings back on his mechanism. Almost skipping with joy over to the control pad, he lifted the compartment with the special red button within, hardly daring to think that this might actually work this time. He pressed the button.  
  
For the first two seconds, the RWC did nothing but sit there and make soft clicking noises as it contemplated this command.  
  
Suddenly, without warning, it began to whir loudly, and then the RWC, and its veiw from the moniter screen began to shake.  
  
"Uh oh..." Mr. Gice muttered, ducking for cover. "It's gunna blow!!!"  
  
Before he could move very far, though, there was a brilliant flash of light, and when Mr. Gice's sight cleared again, he could see that his RWC was gone.  
  
Glancing at the screen, to figure out where his device was at the moment, he let out a whoop. The transfer was complete.  
  
*******************************************************************  
  
Daricio: ^_____________________________________________________^  
  
Malik: o.O Why are you so happy?? You made me act like an idiot!  
  
Daricio: I finished the chapter!!! AND got it posted on my personally set deadline of November the 19th! ^__^  
  
Malik: .... oh... That's nice.  
  
Mr. Gice: I let out a "whoop" Daricio?  
  
Daricio: What? You're happy! Cause now you get to play "Spy on the inhabitants of the freaky world"!  
  
Mr. Gice: ... ok...  
  
Daricio: ^___________^  
  
Roo: This chapter sucked.  
  
Bakura: *warningly* Roo, I thought you knew better than to be mean to an authoress... You've already had several bad experiences...  
  
Roo: *winces at memory of said experiences* So? I don't care!  
  
Bakura: *rolls eyes* *grins* *locks Roo in his little cage*  
  
Roo: *evil grin* *begins sawing at bars with file*  
  
*two hours later*  
  
Roo: *hasn't even succeeded in making a single dent* o.o What's this cage MADE out of???  
  
Bakura: *shrugs* don't ask me. I didn't make it. ^_^  
  
Malik: *reading over the beginning of the Arkana duel* Hey, Daricio... You kind of cut that duel jsut a tad bit short... Like.. Not including it at all...  
  
Daricio: Yeah, yeah, I know. I was a little hard pressed for time, and besides, it's better this way. You all know what happened in the stupid Arkana duel, and there would have been no changes to the duel anyways, besides Daricio sticking in a few random comments in here and there, so that's just the way I'm doing it.  
  
Malik:.... oh...  
  
Yugi: *drags Yami by the open door, grinning widely*  
  
Yami: *yelling incoherently in alternating languages*  
  
All else: O.oUUUUUUUUUUUUUUU  
  
Malik: Uuuhhh......  
  
Random Reviewers: Enough already! Post the chappie! Post the chappie!!! POST POST POST POST POST POST POST POST!!!!  
  
Daricio: O.O Ok, Ok, I'll post already... sheesh... *pushes random reviewers out of author room*  
  
Roo: So, now that this chapter's over, can me and the rest of the people you invited here leave yet?  
  
Daricio: *thinks about this for a moment* Yeah... Yeah, you can go if you want to.... Well... All except Malik, Roo, and Bakura, of course.  
  
Roo: WHAT????? ME???  
  
Daricio: ^_^ Of course, you! You just HAPPEN to be my new muse!  
  
Bakura: Me, too?  
  
Daricio: Yup! To keep Roo in line.  
  
Bakura: ^_^ Fun!  
  
Roo: *groan* Why me?  
  
Daricio: *to rest of the guests* Hope you had fun here! Enjoy your gifts! See ya!!!  
  
All: *Wave goodbye* *leave*  
  
Daricio: ^__^ *to reviewers* REVEIW PLEASE!!! YOUR INPUT IS VERY WELL MUCH APPRECIATED!!!!! VERY VERY VERY MUCH APPRECIATED!!!!  
  
Malik: Daricio?  
  
Daricio: Yes?  
  
Malik: OW...  
  
Daricio: ^_^U Ooops. Sorry, Malik.  
  
Malik: V_VU Sure you are.  
  
Daricio: ^____^ See you all next chappie!!! Byez!!!  
  
--Daricio, and her (unwilling) muses, Malik, Bakura, and Roo. 


	32. Extreme Weirdness as Battle City continu...

Daricio: All right! New chapter of Where's Yugi!!!!  
  
Roo: *monotone* Yay....  
  
Bakura: ^_^ This should be fun.  
  
Roo: -_- No it won't. I was reading in her little notebook that she uses to write down ideas for this story while she's at school. She has the entire rest of the story planned out in here, and in this chapter, you and I-  
  
Daricio: *duct tape* No giving the story away, Grab Rauber! I thought I warned you about that LAST chapter...  
  
Roo: -_-U  
  
Malik: ^^ Ha ha, Roo got duct taped. Again.  
  
Roo: *muffled* Don't call me that.  
  
Malik: ^^  
  
Bakura: Let me see that notebook...  
  
Malik: Yeah, me too... Maybe she has the ending of Millennium Magic in there somewhere...  
  
Roo: *Hands it over*  
  
Bakura: *realizes that Daricio started writing this notebook while she was typing the chapter with Radley totruring him with the past* -_-' *skips that part*... ^_^ *opens to the page where Daricio has scribbled notes for this chappie*  
  
Daricio: ^_^U Anyways, just a few notes before we begin...  
  
First off, this is the chappie where things start to get interesting... It starts to veer off from Battle City just a tad bit more... Also, this chappie is going to be rather short, as I'm going to end it right before the finals start... You all saw how short my last chappie was, and that was almost a whole day there... This might be a tad longer than last chappie, but not much longer...  
  
Next, in this chappie, is the overusation of the word "Grin." ... Do me a favor. Ignore it. ^.^ I'm braindead, be thankful I'm writing at all.  
  
Also, I know I said I dislike the name Slifer the Sky dragon, and that Winged Dragon, God of Osirus was a better name, but I'm gunna use the name Slifer, just 'acause if I don't I'll end up forgetting to not use it. ^^' Been watching the dub too long. ^^'  
  
Aaand, one last thing. I got somewhat annoyed with trying to figure out what Marik was going to say, because again, this is a bunch of episodes that got recorded over, so I basically just totally made up everything he and almost everyone else is saying here. It may have some tendancies to go into what they actually do say, but mostly it's just me making it up as I go... ^^'  
  
Bakura: *reading notebook* o.O I'm gunna have WHAT happen to me?? And I'm gunna do WHAT in the last chapter?!  
  
Roo: Now you know how I feel...  
  
Bakura: ...??...Ado-  
  
Daricio: *AHEM* Stop giving away the story to the readers.  
  
Bakura: ^_^'  
  
Daricio: All right, ANYWAYS, with all that out of the way, on to the ficcie!  
  
Malik: ^^  
  
Bakura: ^_^  
  
Roo: -_-  
  
***************************************************************  
  
{Daricio}  
  
Beep. Beep. Beep. Beep. Beep. Beep. Beep. Beep.  
  
The alarm was going off....  
  
Daricio didn't care. She reached up and hit the snooze button, then rolled over. Sleeeeep...  
  
//Oh, that's how you do that.// Yami said suddenly.  
  
Daricio jumped, then blinked. //Yami, what are you doing in here?// she asked.  
  
//Trying to figure out how in the world you manage to sleep through that thing almost every morning...// He answered good naturedly.  
  
Daricio rolled her eyes and lay back down, trying to go back to sleep.  
  
//Uh, Daricio? Shouldn't you get up?//  
  
//No, it's too early.//  
  
//Then why did you set your alarm to this time?//  
  
//To allow snoozing time. See, I already know that I'm inevitably going to hit the snooze button at least twice before I actually get up, so I set my alarm earlier than the time that I want to get up at.// She explained. //But now, I'm obviously not going to be able to get back to sleep, so I might as well get up.//  
  
Yami grinned at her as she did so.  
  
//And it's not funny. You woke me up.//  
  
He just continued to grin and went silently back into Yugi's soul room.  
  
Daricio sighed, then actually bothered to look at the time. She blinked. 7:30????  
  
"Whoa, I am WAY late... What happened?" She muttered to herself. She hurriedly put her shoes on and ran down the stairs as fast as she could go without falling down them. She rounded the downstairs corner, almost tripped over the cat, instead jumped over the cat, and then quickly came to a halt in the entryway of the dark, empty livingroom.  
  
//Wait... Dark and empty? Where is everyone?// Daricio wondered. Then she remembered. It was Wednesday.  
  
Every Wednesday, her school had a one hour late start. Meaning that ofter the route, they could go back to bed for an hour before school started...  
  
Daricio went over and checked the log book for the route. Just as she thought, DVD had done her part for her that morning...  
  
She sighed. //All right... So I've got a bit of time before I have to be at school...//  
  
She used this time to grab a bowl and pour herself some cereal.  
  
"Morning, Daricio."  
  
//Morning, Daricio.//  
  
Yugi and DVD said this both at the exact same time, and Daricio grinned. "Hey DVD."  
  
//So, Yami wake you up, too?// She asked.  
  
//Yyyyyyup...//  
  
//He's obviously very excited about the tournament... He's been getting up early for about.. how long, a couple days now?//  
  
//Something like that.// Yugi agreed, returning to his own soul room just enough so that he could get himself his own breakfast.  
  
"So, what's up in your world, Daricio?" DVD asked after what he took as a moment of silence. He grabbed his own bowl and started towards the table.  
  
"MY world?"  
  
"Yeah. You spend more time talking with your Yu-Gi-Oh friends than you do talking to some of your real friends... You know, like the ones at schoooool?" DVD said slowly. He sat down and began to eat.  
  
Daricio waved him off. "Yeah, yeah... So what if I do? The people at school are all twits... My friends in the Real World are the only people who really understand me."  
  
DVD grinned. "Yeah, yeah." he said, mimiking her. "You didn't answer my question. What's up over there with Yugi and them?"  
  
Daricio shrugged. "Nothing yet today... Not too many people have woken up to start dueling, yet. Yugi's getting breakfast, same as us..."  
  
DVD nodded. "Think Marik's gunna come back today?"  
  
"Duh. Finals are tonight, and there's no way he's gunna let an entire day go by without showing up."  
  
"Guess you're right. Hey, you missed yesterday's episode helping Yugi out with that Arkana freak. Wanna watch it now? I mean, we can because of late start."  
  
Daricio grinned. "Good idea. What's it of?"  
  
"Oh, it basically showed up till about the end of the duel with that first Rare hunter duel... The commercials said that today it would show Joey's duel against that Espa Roba guy, along with the first bit of what they're calling the Master of Magicians duel." DVD grinned too.  
  
Daricio considered that. "Master of Magicians... It fits..."  
  
"Yup." DVD popped in the tape that it had been recorded on.  
  
Quickly fastforwarding through the commercials, he stopped at the beginning of the theme song.  
  
"And we have a new theme song finally, too!" He commented. "Battle City themed. Don't ask where they get some of these pictures, though..."  
  
Daricio shrugged. "Whatever. Let's watch!"  
  
//I'm watching too. Might as well see just how that Rare Hunter was cheating...// Yami put in.  
  
Daricio nodded slightly.  
  
//Hey, Daricio?// Yugi asked as the theme song continued.  
  
//What?//  
  
//Didn't you say something yesterday about having a better fashion sense than me?// Yugi smirked. //So, what did you finally decide to wear?//  
  
//If you'll remember, I was a bit rushed going out the door.// Daricio said, closing her eyes. This raised complaints from Yami, so she let him take over while she talked with Yugi.  
  
"So what are you wearing?" Yugi asked again.  
  
"Just this." Daricio said, showing him her black shirt and jeans. "Nothing special, just my..."  
  
Yugi blinked, then grinned. "Daricio, why are you wearing a Seto Kaiba shirt with a Blue Eyes on it?"  
  
Daricio shrugged. "Would you have preferred I got a random Yami t-shirt in which he's half deformed and striking a strange pose, like some of them do?"  
  
Yugi blinked. "Noooo..."  
  
Daricio grinned again. "Well, they didn't have any Yugi ones, only the deformed Yami ones. This one was at least half decent, so I got it.."  
  
"Uh huh... and none with Joey, Tea, or Bakura on them?'  
  
"Nope... Well, some of Joey, but he's usually standing next to a deformed Yami..."  
  
Yugi snickered. "I see."  
  
There was silence as the theme song ended and the two of them sat and watched the show.  
  
When it was over, Daricio glanced up at the clock. "I'd better get ready for school. And you two better get outside so you can start dueling people."  
  
Yugi and Yami both nodded and returned to Yugi's soul room.  
  
DVD smiled as he shut off the television. "I wonder what's going to happen today..."  
  
"I know what'll happen." Jrj said suddenly, coming into the room. He had been standing in the doorway, watching the show with us. "Yami will win the duel versus Arkana, and then Marik's gunna do some blabbing about random junk, then they'll wander around for a while trying to find somebody else to duel. It's what always happens..."  
  
Daricio grinned at the irony of the fact that this was, indeed, what had happened. "And what if Yami loses?" She asked him, just for the sake of trying to act like she didn't already know.  
  
"He won't. Yami never loses. It's part of the show." Jrj said confidently.  
  
Daricio shook her head, then turned to DVD. "Should we tell him?"  
  
"Might as well. He'd have figured it out eventually..." DVD said, shrugging.  
  
Jrj cocked his head to one side questioningly. "Figured what out?"  
  
//Hey, Yami. You dueling anyone yet?//  
  
//No, there still doesn't seem to be anybody awake yet...//  
  
//Good. Come over here a moment...//  
  
"Daricio?" Jrj looked puzzled at her sudden blank look.  
  
She blinked. "Jrj, I'd like you to meet somebody."  
  
Jrj looked around. "Right now?"  
  
She nodded. "Yup. His name... Is Yami."  
  
Yami chose that moment to come out in a temporary physical form standing next to Daricio. "Hello." He said to Jrj.  
  
Jrj blinked. "Yami? Whoa..." He grinned. "This is beyond cool."  
  
***********************************************************************  
  
{Strings}  
  
I stood there, my hands up in the air like a mime. I was hiding. He would never find me. In plain sight, and He would never find me.  
  
No matter what, I could not move a muscle. If I did, it would destroy the hiding place I had found. He would find me again.  
  
He would hurt me. He would yell at me for hiding from him. He would hurt me and yell at me even if I didn't do anything. His own personal punching bag when his plans went wrong.  
  
//Keep your mind off that, Strings.// I thought to myself. //Even a single misdirected thought could summon him...//  
  
My eyes moved slowly around me, carefully checking my surroundings to make sure He hadn't heard my sudden thoughts. To make sure He hadn't found me.  
  
He hadn't. He was nowhere in sight. Only a few random people walking about the park.  
  
I let out a slow breath in relief.  
  
He could hear me when I thought. He could hear when I was thinking incorrectly. I know he can.  
  
Because he never spoke to me to my face. Only to my mind. He laughed at me when I ran away. Because he can hear where I am, by listening to my thoughts.  
  
So now I don't run. Running is bad. Running brings punishment.  
  
Now I simply hide. Because now he can't see me. He can't hear me. If I don't think, if I don't move, He cannot know where I am. He cannot find me.  
  
He's not here now, and He won't be for a long time. Peace washes over me at this thought.  
  
Involuntarily, one arm sinks about a centimeter. Quickly I jerk it back up into position. Stupid arm...  
  
//It's time, my mind slave.// Suddenly, He spoke. //Let us go destroy that so-called pharaoh!//  
  
I shuddered, refusing to move. He found me. I don't know how, but He found me! //Go away, go away, go away, go away...// I chanted to myself.  
  
He mentally rolled his eyes, and I felt him take direct control.  
  
//NO!//  
  
I pulled a duel disk onto my arm, locked it securely into Battle Position, tensed up, and lept off the park bench, scaring a few of the nearby people out of their minds. I ran.  
  
"Was it something I said?" I heard one of them ask as I ran off. Funny, they took the words right out of my mouth... er... Mind...  
  
//GO AWAY!!!//  
  
//Oh, shut up and duel.//  
  
************************************************************************  
  
{Yami: Later}  
  
This was a tough spot. An Egyptian God Card on his opponant's field, and no way to get out any powerful monsters, or to reduce the amount of cards in his opponant's hand. Even if he did do both of these, there was still that Revival Jam...  
  
Wait... That was it!  
  
"I activate Monster Reborn, bringing back Buster Blader to the field!"  
  
The strange rare hunter, under the control of Marik, just laughed at this. "You've forgotten Slifer the Sky Dragon's special ability, haven't you? Instant attack!"  
  
Yami just watched in silence as the attack came closer, not quite wiping out his newly summoned monster, but just nearly doing so.  
  
"Buster Blader! Attack Slifer, now!" He commanded.  
  
Marik laughed again. "You fool! If that attack went through, you would be finished right now. As it is... Revival Jam! Take the hit!"  
  
Buster Blader went forward and sliced at the Jam, scattering it into several pieces that floated around for a while. It was about to come back together. Yami acted quickly.  
  
"Activate the magic card: Brain Control!"  
  
"You cannot control the power of an Egyptian God monster using simple Magic and Trap cards! They won't work!" Marik laughed. "You're more foolish than I thought!"  
  
Yami smirked. "Who says I was after your dragon, Marik?"  
  
"What? What else could you be getting at?" He looked over the field. "The only other monster I have is my Revival Jam..."  
  
"Exactly." Yami said triumphantly. "And because it's just now forming, it appears on my side of the field, meaning Slifer's special ability is activated. Revival Jam is destroyed, and then it reforms, still under my control. You draw, because of your card."  
  
Marik's eyes widened. "No! It's an endless cycle! Each time Slifer attacks, Revival Jam just keeps coming back, and I draw more cards. Slifer gets stronger, but it's totally useless, because he has to attack the Revival Jam again! Attack, reform, draw! Attack, reform, draw! Until..." The blank faced rare hunter attempted to draw more cards, but there were none left for him to draw. "No!"  
  
"You're out of cards, Marik. That means I win." Yami smirked.  
  
"Yeah!" Mokuba cheered for Yami for a moment before getting silenced by a look from his brother. It didn't matter, though, as Yugi and Daricio kept up the cheering from inside his mind. The holograms of the monsters faded away.  
  
Marik fell to his knees, his face going completely blank as he contemplated his loss. His hand, which consisted of his entire deck at the moment, dropped out of his hands and onto the pavement below him, scattering everywhere.  
  
Yami sighed to himself, and watched as Mokuba carefully picked his way down the slope and headed over to where the Rare Hunter was kneeling. He spread the cards out on the ground until he found the Egyptian God Card.  
  
"Wow... The second Egyptian God Card." He murmured. "I wish Seto could have this..." He looked up at Yami. "But this is rightfully yours, according to Battle City rules."  
  
Yami walked over to Mokuba's side and took the card that he was now holding out to him. He looked at it slowly. "I must be very careful with this..."  
  
Marik chose that moment to quickly stand up again, glaring at the former pharaoh. The rare hunter's normally blank face was filled with anger. "You may have won against my rare hunter once again, Pharaoh, but you won't win once you know what's truly at stake here."  
  
Mokuba backed away, his eyes wide. "Whoa... Hey, mister, it's only a game..."  
  
Marik turned his fury on the youngster. "Shut up, you. You don't know who you're dealing with." He turned back to Yami. "And neither do you."  
  
Yami narrowed his eyes. "What are you talking about, Marik?"  
  
Marik laughed. "I'm talking about the fact that I'm superior to you, Yami. I can see all! I see a puzzle that should have been mine! I see a defenseless city, waiting to be destroyed. And everywhere, I see potential mind-slaves! Who do you think I will take next? Tea? Joey maybe?"  
  
"You keep away from my friends!" Yami shouted.  
  
"Ooh, looks like I've found your weak point." Marik laughed yet again. "A weak point in your friends. Well, maybe I should take over them, then, just to... raise the stakes a bit."  
  
Yami growled. "You wouldn't dare."  
  
"I would, and I will." Marik returned. " And just like last time, Yami, we will meet again. And this time, I WILL defeat you!"  
  
The rare hunter collapsed onto his face.  
  
"No! Marik!" Yami felt a strange urge to kick the inert Rare Hunter, but resisted, knowing it wouldn't really accomplish anything. He growled to himself. "I've got to find Joey and the others and warn them!"  
  
He turned and began to run.  
  
"Yugi, wait!" Kaiba called out.  
  
Yami stopped.  
  
"I challange you to a duel, Yugi." Kaiba announced.  
  
"Kaiba..." Yami said without turning around, closing his eyes in slight annoyance. "Finding my friends is a bit more important at the moment." He began running again.  
  
//I've got to find them, before it's too late!// he thought to himself.  
  
Kaiba sniffed indignantly. "It's against Battle City rules to decline a challenge." He stated to nobody in particular, even though he himself hadn't gone by this rule when challenged by Joey earlier. He followed Yami.  
  
********************************************************************  
  
{Mr. Gice}  
  
Mr. Gice watched as the results from his just recently returned camera streamed into his main computer.  
  
The moment it had entered the Freaky World, it had automatically targeted a random person and had immedietly begun recording, giving Mr. Gice information on that person.  
  
Height, weight, gender, and other physical things were the easy parts. The subject was a girl, and she was about 4'9, and about 105 lbs.  
  
She had one sister, and two brothers. Parents normal. Very interested in a TV Show called Yu-Gi-Oh, which actually had his old friend Seto Kaiba in it, just as he had thought it would.  
  
He still hadn't quite mastered all the controls, so he wasn't sure how the FWC's were able to get inside people's minds yet, but he was sure he'd figure it out eventually...  
  
All he needed was a little bit more time...  
  
For now, though, he could publicly display his findings. Finally, his colleges would see that he wasn't crazy, that another world really DID exist!  
  
He already had a TV brodcasting channel that had agreed to let him talk for a while on the air. Now all he needed was to actually go and do it.  
  
Once the information was all done loading, he grabbed his stuff and headed out the door.  
  
****************************************************************************  
  
{Yami again}  
  
Yami slammed the telephone down in frustration and came out of the phone booth, coming to stand next to Kaiba, who was waiting for him.  
  
"No answer?" Kaiba asked lazily, almost as if he had been half-expecting this to happen.  
  
"None." Yami said worriedly. "Any other suggestions, Kaiba?"  
  
"Possibly. There are a few places I can think of that this Marik guy might want to go, so we can check some of those places out." Kaiba turned and began walking down the street. Yami followed, still looking worried, but glad that Kaiba was at least attempting to help.  
  
They hadn't gone far, when something in a shop window cauht Yami's attention. It was a television screen. On the TV, a man was talking, although Yami couldn't quite hear what was being said, and in the corner was a panel that said FWC. The strip on the bottom informed him that the man speaking was Mr. Thomas Gice, FWC Specialist.  
  
Yami stopped and leaned in closer to listen. Kaiba didn't really have any particular idea where Joey, Tea, and Tristan were, and although at least trying to look for them would help, anything he could learn about FWC's was useful.  
  
"...managed to send in my own version of the FWC into the Freaky World itself to randomly select a target and record information on them." Mr. Gice was saying.  
  
Kaiba walked back over. "What are you looking at?" he asked. Then he saw who was on the screen and rolled his eyes. "Oh. Him."  
  
"You know him?" Yami asked, looking up.  
  
"Met him once breifly." Kaiba said, snorting a little in disgust. "Nutcase extrordinaire. Come on, let's go." He walked off again.  
  
Yami was about to do so as well, but he glanced down at the screen where Mr. Gice was now showing his results. Yami's eyes opened wide. On the screen, there was a front view, side view, and a back view computer generated picture of the subject walking.  
  
It was Daricio.  
  
"Come on!" Kaiba snapped from up ahead. "We don't have all day, and whatever that idiot Gice had to say over there, it's not anything important!"  
  
Yami hurried on, lost deep in thought. What was going on?  
  
***********************************************************************  
  
{Radley}  
  
Bakura paced slowly across his soul room, looking down at a small clip board that he held in his hands. His yami sat silently on the bed watching him as he paced, and looking rather bored.  
  
"Ok..." Bakura said after a while. "we've completed reinforcing the link, doing some reaserch, and every other preperation I could think of,-"  
  
"Which was slightly stupid, but whatever. I'll deal with it, I suppose."  
  
Bakura ignored him and continued. "We even went to go see that Egyptian Exhibit down at the museum to see if they had any more clues as to where the other items may be."  
  
Radley nodded. "And to check out the energe signal I sensed from there."  
  
"Right. But anyway, now we're ready to go."  
  
Radley stood and stretched. "Finally. So, what are we waiting for?"  
  
He suddenly vanished from the soul room, apparently taking a temporary physical form. Bakura sighed and took control of his body, then quickly went down the stairs of his house, following after his yami and trying not to get left behind.  
  
As it was, it was fairly simple to catch up to the spirit, because he stopped and waited for him at the front door, which was something he usually didn't do.  
  
Bakura smiled and walked outside. "You just waited up for me because you have no idea where we're going, right?" he said, making a joke.  
  
Radley simply shrugged and followed him, closing the door behind him.  
  
After the two of them had gone a few blocks or so, Radley looked around them. "So..." He said slowly. "Where ARE we going, anyway?"  
  
Bakura chuckled. "We're headed in the general direction of Domino Pier, keeping mostly to the back alleys."  
  
"Ah... Why? Because of those rare hunters we overheard yesterday talking about some Marik guy?"  
  
Bakura nodded. "Yes, that's exactly why. I got on the internet last night and did a google search for him, and for the Millennium Items. There were several things talking about a certain Marik Ishtar who holds a mysterious item that is called the Millennium Rod. It has the power to mind control people."  
  
Radley nodded slowly, thinking this over. He began to grin. "If we had internet back in Ancient Egypt, my job would have been so much easier." He commented. He looked at Bakura. "And then, you'd make a pretty good theif yourself."  
  
"I'm not sure whether that's a compliment or not, but thanks." Bakura said somewhat dryly. "Now lets go. Use the Ring to track down the Millennium Rod so we can try and intercept him in one of the alleyways."  
  
Radley nodded. "Right." He closed his eyes and disappeared into the ring, taking control of Bakura's body so that he could use the Ring's powers more efficiently without having to consentrate on keeping up his physical form.  
  
//You could have asked, you know.// Bakura said somewhat grumpily. //What if I wanted to be the one to actually track him down?//  
  
//Sorry.// Radley said, rolling his eyes and activating the Ring. //I just figured it'd go faster this way, since I'm more adapt at using the Ring's tracking powers.//  
  
Radley began to follow the Ring's pointers.  
  
//And what's that supposed to mean?//  
  
//What do you mean, what's it supposed to mean? You just let the thing drag you around whenever you try to use it, that's what I mean!//  
  
Bakura grumbled slightly, but made no further comment.  
  
The two travelled for a while before coming to a sudden stop in an alleyway. It wasn't all that different from any of the other alleys, and Bakura wasn't sure quite why his yami had decided to stop in that particular spot, but then his question was answered.  
  
A motercycle came racing around a corner up ahead and began heading toward them. The pointers on the Ring gave a small push forward to indicate that this was who they were searching for, then lay flat against Radley's chest.  
  
The motercycle loomed closer until at the last second, it pulled to the side of the alleyway and came to a halt. The rider, a teen who couldn't have been more than a year onlder than Bakura, took off his helmet, hopped off the bike, and glared at Radley. "You're in my way." he announced somewhat needlessly.  
  
Radley just smirked. "I'm aware of that. You have something that I'm looking for."  
  
"And what would that be?"  
  
"Your Millennium Item. If you don't hand it over right away, I'll have to take it away by force, as I have done with many others in the past."  
  
Marik seemed unfazed by the threat, but Bakura sounded annoyed.  
  
//Radley, be nice.//  
  
//Quiet, and let me do this. I won't hurt anyone unless I need to.//  
  
"My name is Marik." Marik said, looking the tomb robber up and down. He said this as if Radley, knowing his name, would think twice about trying to steal from him.  
  
"I don't care." Radley said, countering this assumption completely.  
  
Now it was Marik who sounded and looked annoyed. "And," he continued. "I can make a deal with you. Can you duel?"  
  
Radley turned sideways to the motercyclist, showing that he wasn't scared of him. "I'm an expert." he said somewhat pridefully. "I've beaten master duelists, sometimes even playing games in the Shadow Realm."  
  
He turned back to face Marik. "Surprised?"  
  
"Not really."  
  
It was obvious to see that the two were trying to impress each other, and it was just as obvious that neither was about to allow himself to be intimidated.  
  
//Radley, you should quit showing off and just ask him outright what he wants.// Bakura said, sounding a little impatient, annoyed, and slightly nervous all at the same time.  
  
Radley rolled his eyes. "Now, what is this deal of yours?" he asked Marik, sounding only half interested in the whole thing, as if there was no way he'd agree, but that he might as well hear it anyway. This, Radley knew, was the only way to get the better end of a deal.  
  
"You join up with me and win me the Egyptian God Cards from certain individuals that are in Battle City, and I'll give you the Millennium Rod." He held it up and began looking it over, pretending to ignore Radley. "It's of no use to me anyway."  
  
"Why should I accept a deal like that when I can simply take it from you myself?" Radley asked, still sounding bored.  
  
//Radley!//  
  
//I said quiet!// He was having enough trouble trying to consentrate on his conversation with Marik, much less having to put up with goody-goody remarks from his Hikari every two seconds. Bakura was beginning to bug him. More than usual, that is.  
  
"You'll accept because I also know the location of yet another Millennium Item, the Millennium Necklace belonging to my sister, and I will also give you that."  
  
Radley smirked. Now he was getting somewhere. Two Millennium Items at one time. Just enough he'd need to get away from his stupid host and get the rest of the items without the annoying too-innocent voice in his head. "I think we can make a deal..."  
  
//Radley, what a moment. This is obviously a trap. You can't just stop and make deals with every random person we come across, especially not ones that have as many cronies as this guy has! Besides, you need to discuss things with me before deciding stuff anyway!// Bakrua said with concern.  
  
Radley broke off the mind link instead of answering. Marik was starting to outline some of his plans, and he needed to pay attention.  
  
"Fine. First thing I need you to do is to help me get my victim's friends to think that I am also a friend, so that I can get closer to him." Marik said.  
  
"I see. Who's your victim, and what do you plan to have me do about it?" Radley asked.  
  
"Victim is Yugi Moto."  
  
It was all Radley could do to keep from laughing. No wonder the punk thought he needed help. The only person that kid couldn't beat was him!  
  
"My Hikari is a friend of his, and I've met him several times."  
  
"Excellent. Who and where is this "Light" of yours?"  
  
//Nice going, Radley.// Bakura said sarcastically, opening the mind link again.  
  
//I did that on purpose, Ryou.// With that, Radley shoved him into control of the body, while he himself stepped out into a temporary physical form. Bakura, not expecting the sudden gainage of the use of his legs, stumbled forward, and ended up on his hands and knees on the ground.  
  
"This is my light." Radley said, gesturing to Bakura.  
  
Marik looked only slightly startled at the appearance, but then grinned. "Perfect." he turned to face Radley again. "I believe you've figured out what it is I'm needed to have done in order to get close to Yugi's friends by now, right?"  
  
"Indeed." Radley flipped out his pocket knife. Bakura stared at him.  
  
//You wouldn't...// Bakura said shakily across the mind link.  
  
//Would, and am going to.// he returned.  
  
Marik and Radley both advanced on Bakura. Two seconds later, screams of pain rang out.  
  
*********************************************************************  
  
{Daricio}  
  
//This is both beyond weird and beyond cool at the same time.// Daricio said, referring to the fact that Yami d Kaiba were working together and actually winning.  
  
//You said it.// Yugi said, watching as Kaiba began shouting.  
  
"Obelisk, attack! Fist of Fate!" Kaiba commanded. The huge God Monster did so, completely wiping out one of the two rare hunters' life points.  
  
"Umbra! Are you ok?" The shorter one called out. Before he could answer, Kaiba did so for him.  
  
"Physically, he's fine. It's his life points you need to be worrying about, though."  
  
Both rare hunters figured out what he was indicating and began to panic, watching as Umbra's life point count went down to zero. When it did so, the glass beneath him shattered, and he fell with a startled cry.  
  
"Umbra! Come back!" Lumas whined. He dropped to his hands and knees, peering down towards his friend. "Umbra..." He fell silent.  
  
Yami stepped up to him. "Where are my friends being held?"  
  
Lumas slowly stood and looked up on the two, a smirk on his face. His eyes were blank.  
  
"Marik." Yami growled. Daricio scowled.  
  
//Figures he'd show up now that the duel's over.// she said. Yugi nodded.  
  
"You'll see your friends soon enough, pharaoh, but I don't think they'll be as glad to see you as you are to see them." Marik said, his voice blending with the rare hunter's already strange accent to form something that sounded freaky.  
  
Kaiba strode forward and took the small rare hunter by the collar, lifting him up to face level. "Where's my little brother?" he asked, sounding very dangerous.  
  
Marik just laughed softly.  
  
"I don't think he's going to tell us anything, Kaiba." Yami observed.  
  
"Very perceptive." Marik grinned.  
  
Kaiba dropped him, disgusted. He really shouldn't be one to be calling anybody crazy, but it was obvious to Daricio at least that this was what the CEO was thinking.  
  
A low rumbling sound pierced the air, and Marik laughed again, turning to Yami. "Looks like once again it's time for me to go. I'll see you soon. Depend on it."  
  
Lumas dropped to the floor.  
  
Yami frowned. "He's gone."  
  
Kaiba growled in frustration, muttering under his breath as he tried to figure out where the rumbling sound was coming from. His question was answered when a helicopter suddenly flew upwards into view from below them.  
  
Yami blinked. "Isn't that one of your helicopters, Kaiba?"  
  
Kaiba nodded and stepped forward to investigate. As he did so, the side door opened and Mokuba hopped out. "Big Brother!"  
  
"Mokuba!" Kaiba ran forward and gave his brother a hug. "What happened?"  
  
"A bunch of those goons snuck up on me and kidnapped me. They locked me in this warehouse with Tea. She helped me get out, but they caught her before she was able to get away as well."  
  
"What about Joey and Tristan?" Yami asked.  
  
Mokuba shook his head. "I don't know, I didn't see them. Maybe if I lead you guys to the warehouse where Tea's at, we can find them."  
  
Kaiba nodded. "It appears your friend helped my little brother. For this, I'll help you find your friends, Yugi. But that's the ONLY reason I'm helping you. Now come on, get in."  
  
He and Mokuba climbed into the copter.  
  
Once again, Yami was about to follow them, when he heard a voice behind him.  
  
"Pharaoh... Yami..."  
  
He turned around to see the rare hunter struggling to raise his head, having managed to maintain control of his body for a few seconds before going to the Shadow Realm, Yami guessed.  
  
He knelt down next to him. "What?"  
  
"I'm sorry... Marik's Horrid.... I should have seen that from the beginning... Umbra and I... Tell Daricio.... Be careful.... She's in as much danger as Joey and Tea are..." The rare hunter collapsed again.  
  
Yami's eyes widened. How was it that so many people knew about her???  
  
Even if Marik had somehow managed to see that program as well, there was no way he'd have been able to know that he was friends with her!  
  
"Yugi, hurry up or we won't take you after all!"  
  
Yami stood and ran to the copter.  
  
//This is definitely very strange.// Daricio commented nervously.  
  
********************************************************************  
  
X-x Done with that chapter....  
  
And before B/k kills me, *bows* GOMEN NASAI FOR BEING MEAN TO BAKURA!!!  
  
^^  
  
Bakura: .... I didn't like that chapter so much...  
  
Roo: I can see why...  
  
Malik: I didn't like it either... Daricio made me too sarcastic, competetive, and stupid sounding. Repetetive, too. "we shall meet again, pharaoh." then later, "We shall meet again, pharaoh!" *rolls eyes* Yeesh!  
  
Roo: .... Well, that IS what you did, tomb keeper.  
  
Malik: V_V Shut up, Grab Rauber...  
  
Bakura: What does that MEAN, anyway?  
  
Malik: -_- Spending too much time around Daricio... Sorry, Bakura, that was German for Tomb Robber.  
  
Bakura: Ah, I see. ^^;  
  
Roo: -_-  
  
Daricio: ^^' ANYWAYS... I was going to have this chapter include the Yugi/Joey duel, but it took all my strength just to get in the bits that I do have in there! I now have writer's block, writer's cramp, and writer's everything else! Although, that is including compliments! I was talking to some people in my english class, and they said that it was cool the way I could write!  
  
Malik: Uh huh....  
  
Daricio: ^__^  
  
Roo: *inches away* Too much sugar...  
  
Malik: *nods*  
  
Bakura: ^^' Well, seeing as if these three keep going at it like this, the chapter will never end, I'll go ahead and say it. Hope you enjoyed the chappie! Review! See you next time!  
  
All: *turn and wave goodbye, then return to what they were doing* 


	33. Terror of the Yugi and Joey Duel! And Mr...

Warning: There's a lot of screaming during the Yugi/Joey duel thing. 'And if you're sensitive to Fluffy moments, you may need tissues.

... kills QuickEdit  
  
But anyway...  
  
I GOT A LAPTOP! I GOT A LAPTOP! I GOT A LAPTOP!!!! I saved up $800 or so, then my parents gave me $50 for my birthday to contribute towards my laptop fund, and then they let me pull $350 out of my collage long term savings to pay for the rest because they figure that I'll use it for collage. I ish very happy. Ich bin sehr glucklich.  
  
I was sitting in the middle of Math the other day, totally tuning out everything the teacher was trying to tell us... Something about Standard Deviation or something or other, I think... And suddenly I was like O.O AAAAAAHHHHAAAAAA!!!!!!!!  
  
' Well, ok, so I didn't yell in the middle of class, but you get what I mean.  
  
Anyway, I suddenly came up with a whole bunches of ideas for the story!  
  
And then, as I envisioned what would happen, I reached the end of the story in my thoughts... T.T That is going to be one very sad day when I finish this... I'll probably end up starting some cheesy virtual world sequel that makes no sense that is mainly there for randomness...  
  
Malik: Great....  
  
Daricio: ' Either that or... Oh, that's a good idea!  
  
Roo: rolls eyes What now?  
  
Daricio: I can create a sort of "Where's Yugi: The abridged version" type a thing! I can type the whole story over again, leaving out all the really stupid junk that I put in ages ago, and adding in things that really need to go in.... Like plot hole fillers... ' It'll need a new title, though... Not sure what I'll call it... People have been telling me for ages that the title "Where's Yugi" doesn't fit the story anymore, so I need something different...  
  
Bakura: Um, weren't you saying something about your Math Class?  
  
Daricio; ' Oh yeah! So anyways, I was like "Oh, goody! I think I'll get out my notebook!" so I discreetly took out my writing notebook, sobbed at the fact that the first four pages and the front cover have worn away so much that they've fallen off, then turned to the waaaaay back of the notebook and began attempting to fill up the last ten pages. '  
  
Roo: That thing is so darn OLD and beaten up, that I'd burn it if it didn't have all that info in it...  
  
Bakura: shrugs  
  
Malik: -.- None of it's info that I can use...  
  
Bakura: O.o why not?  
  
Malik: -.- I can't read her handwriting.  
  
Daricio: heeeeeeeeeeyy....  
  
Malik: ' What? I can't! Lisa and Kirstie can attest to that!  
  
Daricio: -.- right. Anyways, so I decided to start writing the chapter of the story and stuff... Especially since that last chapter was so... dumb... and cliffhanger-ish... and dumb.... ' and confusing.  
  
Roo: You can say that again.  
  
Daricio: ' Anyways, the Daricio POV at first here takes place while Yami's in the helicopter with Kaiba and Mokuba heading towards the pier... (Must... Keep... Timelines... STRAIGHT!!! ') So, without further adu, and before my muses can insult me further, on with the  
  
Malik: Idiot!  
  
Daricio: o.o what did I do THIS time?  
  
Malik: Nothing, I just did it to spite what you were saying.  
  
Daricio: -.-U Just start the fic.  
  
Malik: . What about that one thing you found out? Hmmmmm???  
  
Daricio: -.- DON'T remind me... Ok, peoples, I went back and read my own story... Found out that in the chapter that I mentioned Malik in... I DID call him Malik, not Marik... Course, I also ended up mentioning Isis, which contradicts the entire Battle City thing. -.- But we'll ignore that for now.  
  
Roo: laughing at me  
  
Daricio: ' Like I said, I've got a few plot holes to fill in... And Roo? Quiet. I've had it rough this month. But anyways, I'm going to keep calling him Marik for the rest of the fic. Really sorry if this confuses anybody, but I've been typing Marik in the story so long that I'm getting all confused and I don't want to confuse myself any more... Besides, Marik sounds more eeeevil. ' I'll switch to calling him Malik when for when he's not being evil. On with the fic, though!

* * *

{Daricio}  
  
Daricio kept her eyes trained on the sidewalk as she walked slowly home from school. She wasn't in any particular hurry, but worry was etched in every feature of her face.  
  
One part of her wanted to race home and find her Joey, Tea, and Tristan tins so she could bring them all over to make sure they were safe. But another part of her knew that if they had indeed been captured by Marik, he would have put them under some sort of mind control. Either that or they would be chained like to a chair or something...  
  
They already knew that if the people that were transported over while they were sitting on a chair, they would be brought over and the chair wouldn't, but clothes and other more tightly fitting things went with them. And if their hands were chained to the chair... The chains would come with them... But the chains were connected to the chair... which wouldn't come with them... So either the chains would break, or...their hands...  
  
Daricio shook the thought out of her head again. As for the mind control thing, who knew what would happen if someone who was being mind controlled was teleported over. As far as they understood, the way the mind control from the Millennium Rod worked was that it concentrated energy in the area of the person. And if the person was suddenly somewhere else, the concentrated energy would have nowhere to go and it might cause an explosion of dark Shadow Magic. That is, according to Yami.  
  
This would be fine, as the only people it could hurt would be Marik's rare hunters and/or Marik himself, but Yami also commented that it might damage the mind of the person being mind controlled during the teleportation, and also the minds of all the others that have been or currently are being mind controlled.  
  
So the tins were totally useless, except for getting Yugi out of dangerous situations like with that Arkana freak.  
  
She sighed, her thoughts shifting to what the rare hunter Lumas had told them right before he passed out. How was it that she was in danger from Marik? He and his entire rare hunter goon squad were an entire world away! There were only three ways to go crossworlds as far as Daricio knew. The tins, that mysterious room in Yugi's puzzle, and using a mind link.  
  
Daricio couldn't help a small smile come out on her face as she imagined a very small Marik wielding a very small Millennium Rod, threatening to hurt her, and her replying, "What are you going to do? Poke me to death?"  
  
Her thoughts turned serious again very quickly.  
  
She found it extremely hard to believe that anybody she knew, or even anybody she didn't know, could have a mind link across worlds with Marik. But then, just a few weeks ago she hadn't thought it possible that Marik could actually exist or that she herself would have a mind link with Yugi, so...  
  
Anything was possible.  
  
She sighed again, remembering that "anything" included her receiving a ton of homework from her teachers that was due tomorrow. With Battle City finals tonight, she doubted any of it would get done.  
  
"Is it just me, or is that car following us?"  
  
Daricio almost jumped out of her skin before she remembered that Yugi was walking with her in his physical form that only she could see. After a moment, she took in what he had said and glanced quickly over her shoulder to check.  
  
Sure enough, traveling behind them at a somewhat slower pace was a dark blue truck with darkened one way mirror windows. But even as she glanced, the truck turned off on a side street.  
  
Daricio frowned. "It might have been, but its gone now." she told Yugi. "It turned off on a side street."  
  
Yugi shrugged. "Weird... it looked like it was following us..."  
  
"We're both probably a little bit paranoid from all this junk in Battle City going on..." Daricio said, sounding somewhat annoyed.  
  
"Yeah, I suppose you're righ- Wait, there it is again! It IS following us!"  
  
"What?" Daricio blinked at the dark blue car that was now parked in a driveway up ahead of them. At first she mentally assumed that this must be a different car, but when she looked closer, it was plain to see that the car had just parked there: there was still smoke coming out of the tailpipe. And besides that, Daricio hadn't memorized the car's license plate, but she was almost sure that the one on this car was the same. "You're right!"  
  
Yugi looked worried, obviously thinking about Lumas' warning. "Why do they want you?" he whispered to himself.  
  
Daricio overheard, giving him an equally worried sideways glance. There was one trait that she had in common with Seto Kaiba and that was that she hated to have people worried about her safety, and she hated for anyone to think she was too weak to take care of herself.  
  
"Let's not think about that right now." She said slowly, trying to veer the conversation away from the fact that she was probably in some kind of danger. "Let's make sure that car is following us before we do anything drastic. After all, this is Marik we're talking about. Follow me."  
  
She turned suddenly down a side street to her right. Yugi did follow, but looked confused.  
  
Daricio began to explain what she was doing. This is to make absolutely sure that this truck is following us. If it's still behind us even when we go off on this side street, then yes, it's following us. Especially since this street is a dead end. But there's a walkway off this street that leads into the park right behind my house. From there we can get onto my street and to my house.   
  
Yugi nodded. "Right."  
  
The truck passed out of their view as they continued around the corner, and the two of them fell into silence as they walked, each enveloped in their own thoughts.  
  
As they entered the park and made their way the park's entrance, Daricio noticed yet another thing that was being weird.  
  
"Hey, Yugi, take a look at that." she said slowly. She pointed, though only slightly so that nobody else would notice, at a car that was in the park's parking lot.  
  
Instead of being in a parking space, it was stopped in the middle of the road, almost as if it were waiting for somebody. The weird part was that the windshield wipers were going full blast. And it wasn't raining.  
  
Yugi let a small smile cross his face at the strange sight.  
  
The lady in the car, who was wearing dark sunglasses, was also talking on her cell phone. The moment she saw Daricio walking along, however, she immediately hung up and backed quickly out of the parking lot.  
  
Yugi laughed. "Didn't want to be seen being weird, I suppose."  
  
Daricio smiled. "I suppose."  
  
Or it could be something worse. She thought to herself. She shook the thought away. There were plenty of weird people in this world that weren't after her...  
  
The two of them fell into silence again. On the way, Daricio was sure that she saw the blue truck several times, but it was never more than a second and she wasn't able to point it out to Yugi.  
  
As they reached the house, she sighed. They were probably both being paranoid...

* * *

{Mr. Gice}  
  
The broadcast had been a huge success... At least as far as Mr. Gice was concerned.  
  
He had finally been able to show everyone his findings! He had finally been able to prove to everyone that not only was he not crazy, he was also RIGHT!  
  
And now there was only one thing he had left to do before his entire study was a success.  
  
He had to warn Daricio.  
  
There was still one thing he hadn't been able to achieve with his RWC that had been done with the FWC's, and that was that the FWC's could travel into people's minds, or into their "soul rooms" as some called them.  
  
Mr. Gice had succeeded in getting the RWC to pick up a few random thoughts from Daricio here and there, but he hadn't been able to go entirely into her mind. (And those thoughts that he did pick up were merely cut off words like "Battle," "worried," and "tins.")  
  
Lately, he had noted that she had been being followed by several people for the past few days. When he discovered exactly who it was that was following her, he become extremely worried, especially since he had no idea how to tell her.  
  
He had a theory, however, that if he were able to get his RWC working in Daricio's mind, he might be able to plant a message there for her to find, telling her about her pursuers.  
  
And maybe telling her about his existence, too. Mostly because it's sort of impolite to intrude in somebody's mind and broadcast their image around another world and then not even introduce themselves...  
  
But before he could do that, he had to figure out how to make his RWC operate properly. Unless, of course, he could randomly happen to spot another FWC so he could capture and use that instead...  
  
And yes, he could see the FWC's. That's how he knew of their existence in the first place.  
  
Only a select few people could see past the device's protective invisibility, and he was one of them. Not even he knew exactly why he could see them and yet nobody else he knew could. It had actually been one of the reasons his colleagues had concluded that he must be crazy; because he had tried to show them the slightly mangled one that he had been able to catch.  
  
Mr. Gice shook his head. There was no way he'd be able to catch another one. The FWC Corporation workers already knew that he could see them; they'd keep their devices plenty far away from his reach.  
  
Meaning that there was only one way to warn Daricio of her pursuers: He'd have to get his own version to enter her soul room. And that was far easier said than done.  
  
(A/N: DVD, go away!!!!!  
  
DVD: staring over Daricio's shoulder as she types Squeegee!  
  
Daricio: sigh)  
  
Mr. Gice sighed and began to switch on all of his equipment. There was only one real way to get his RWC to work and that was to test out the small corrections he had made to it earlier that day.  
  
(A/n: randomly wonders if Mr. Gice has a laptop )  
  
The screen flickered on, showing Mr. Gice a view of the room which the RWC was currently recording. Flicking the needed switches and squinting his eyes to block out the small flash of light that resulted from the RWC going crossworlds, Mr. Gice changed the view to Daricio's kitchen.  
  
Turning on the device's auto search, he quickly found Daricio walking home from school a few blocks away. He watched her walk for a moment, wondering slightly why she appeared to be talking to herself, then began to activate his RWC's different vision statuses to make sure they still worked.  
  
The view switched to infrared, then to heat sensing, then x-ray, ultraviolet, night vision, and finally back to normal. Mr. Gice took a deep breath. Now was the time to see if his corrections had been successful.  
  
He flipped the switch that switched it to "soul room" mode. Nothing happened. Well... Mr. Gice squinted at the screen and mentally corrected himself. Almost nothing had happened. In the speakers was a faint sound that could have been thoughts...  
  
But more importantly, walking next to Daricio, a hazy outline of a boy had appeared... Almost as if it was a boy that only Daricio could see, meaning that she obviously had a mind link with this boy!  
  
Mr. Gice blinked. This was an unprecedented event... This proved that mind links were possible...  
  
Mr. Gice looked down at his controls, playing with a few of them to try and bring the outline more into focus. While he did that, he also turned up the sound on his speakers to see if he could make out at least some of what Daricio was thinking.  
  
"-- absolutely sure that --is following us. If it's still be-- when we go -- side street, then yes, it's following us. Especially --a dead end. But there's a walkway off this street --the park right behind my house. From there we can get --and to my house." He heard Daricio say.  
  
"Right." He heard a male voice answer her.  
  
Mr. Gice almost dropped his small screwdriver. So Daricio had noticed that they were following her. AND he was right about the mind link. Not only that, but he thought he recognized the other voice!  
  
After fine tuning the image as far as he could get it to go without crashing the system, he returned his attention to the screen. He still couldn't make out particular colors and most of the main details, but the outline had become far more defined.  
  
And that hair was unmistakable.  
  
Mr. Gice brought his RWC back to his lab and shut all the systems down. Then he packed a small bag and headed for his car.  
  
He had to locate Yugi Moto and find Daricio.

* * *

{Marik}  
  
It was almost time. Yugi had almost located his friend, Joey. He would be here any minute, and Kaiba and his bratty brother would be there as well.  
  
Yugi and the Pharaoh had been informed about his knowledge of Daricio, but Marik had managed to shut up his blabby rare hunter before he could reveal exactly how he knew about it.  
  
And that was a good thing. No good in laying all your cards down at once.  
  
Even though he was currently standing in the enclosed area of his boat, he shivered slightly from the cold breeze that he could feel blowing Joey's hair around. Marik hated the cold. He hated a lot of things at the moment.  
  
But this he had to put up with for now. He had to keep the connection so that he could finally show the Pharaoh who was boss and take what was rightfully his.  
  
He growled low to himself. He could already see that he regretted having underestimated the Pharaoh's dueling ability. He should have remembered his ancient title: King of Games.  
  
He shook his head. If he lost one more time, he was going to get extremely frustrated. Especially since he had fixed Wheeler's deck especially to work against Yugi's.  
  
If he were to lose once again, then the runt would have made his way up to Kaiba's finals matches simply by defeating his incompetent rare hunters over and over again!  
  
And then he would have to fall back on plan B: dueling him in person there at the finals.  
  
Marik closed his eyes, mentally thinking over the different possibilities. He really didn't want to duel anybody in person. Not only would it be a complete waste of time, especially considering that he still had to get back his God cards, but there were also the blackouts...  
  
Almost every time he would duel in person, if he were to become even the slightest bit annoyed, which he was rather prone to doing, he would suddenly get a headache. Most of the time they were only slight, but they still bothered him.  
  
Especially the time, when Rishid had been away, he had blacked out and awoken to find his dueling opponent in pieces in front of him...  
  
It was almost like reliving the whole episode with his father again...  
  
Marik shook his head to clear it. He wouldn't have to duel in person. It would all end now. This duel was perfect. There was no way he could lose. He would win his Millennium Puzzle and get his revenge. The Pharaoh would pay for what he had done!!!  
  
(A/n: I actually wasn't planning on having a Marik POV here, I just felt like shoving it in...)

* * *

{Daricio}  
  
(A/n: Skipping a bunch right here. Was going to show a lot of the Yugi/Joey duel, but 1 I suck at writing duels, and 2 I don't remember exactly what happened in the duel anyway... That and I'm tired of trying to fit what my characters say to the lines of the show. -.- I'd much rather write it the way I feel like writing it. So, on to a part of the Yugi/Joey duel that wasn't shown on the show!)  
  
Yami looked worriedly at Yugi, who was so worn out from the dueling that he was on his knees in his soul room. "What are you going to do, Yugi?" he asked.  
  
He was referring to the fact that Yugi had just captured Joey's Meteor of Destruction with his Fairy's Hand Mirror and that he now had to choose between firing at the now not mind-controlled Joey or at himself.  
  
Yugi took a deep breath and looked up at him. "I... I don't know..." he whispered.  
  
Daricio and Yami both looked at each other and took a step forward to help Yugi back up to his feet again. As they did so, Yugi shook his head and picked himself up, wobbling slightly.  
  
"I can do this." He said. "I think."  
  
Daricio bit her lip. "I know you can, Yugi. But I still want to help."  
  
Yami nodded in agreement.  
  
Daricio closed her eyes, losing herself for a moment in deep thought. Why would Marik force them into such a situation? Why would anybody be crazy enough to make anybody have to choose between themselves and their best friends? It was a very lose-lose situation.  
  
If Yugi chose to attack Joey, he would save his puzzle and himself. But... Serenity wouldn't be able to take it... If the first sight she ever saw was of her brother drowning at the hands of his best friend...  
  
Tea might be grateful that Yugi was safe, but Daricio doubted that she would make eye contact with Yugi for quite a while afterwards for making such a decision.  
  
And Mai... Neither Joey nor she wanted to admit it, but Daricio could tell that they liked each other.  
  
But... But if Yugi chose the other way, to attack himself... Joey would never forgive himself, for one thing. Tea, who obviously likes Yugi, would be in shock. She'd never get over it, much like Mai wouldn't if he attacked Joey...  
  
Not to mention that Daricio herself would not only lose her newest and best friend, but her main link to Yugi's world.  
  
It was a horrible situation that nobody should ever have to be in...  
  
Yugi suddenly stumbled over to them and took a hold of Yami's hands, one in each of his, and holding them up a little. Yami looked surprised, but met his hikari's gaze with his own.  
  
"Yami?"  
  
"Yes, Yugi?"  
  
"Will you support me in my decision?" Yugi asked.  
  
Yami nodded firmly. "Yes. I will, Yugi. You know that."  
  
Yugi closed his eyes and let go of one of Yami's hands to take one of Daricio's. "And will you?"  
  
Daricio tilted her head slightly in confusion, but also nodded. "Yes, Yugi."  
  
Obviously, he was trying to get them not to blame them for attacking Joey, which is what he would have to do.  
  
Daricio looked down at the floor. She wouldn't blame it on him, but it would still be hard to-  
  
"Then take care of Yami for me."  
  
Daricio's eyes shot up to meet Yugi's wide sad ones. "What?"  
  
Without warning or explanation, Yugi quickly (and with surprising strength) shoved both of them out of his soul room and into the hallway connecting him to Daricio's room. Then he shut the door.  
  
"Yugi!! What are you doing?!" Daricio cried.  
  
"No! Yugi!!"  
  
"What's he doing?"  
  
"He's going to direct the attack at himself!!!"  
  
"What?!?" Daricio pounded on the soul room door. "Yugi, open this door!"  
  
"Yugi!"  
  
"Yugi, no!! Don't do it!!"  
  
"I have to do this!" Yugi's muffled voice came. "Joey's counting on me!! EVERYONE IS!!!"  
  
"But Yugi!!"  
  
"No! I have to!"  
  
There was silence for a moment. Daricio had tears running down her face, and Yami just looked dumbfounded, like he never thought anything like this would happen.  
  
"What do we do?" Daricio whispered.  
  
"I..." Yami couldn't find words.  
  
"What if... Yami!! Water!!"  
  
Yami noticed as well. "He's underwater!"  
  
A lot of water was seeping out from underneath the door of Yugi's soul room, escaping into the hallway. A LOT of water.  
  
"YUGI!!!" Daricio screamed, resuming her pounding on the door. Yami joined her. "YUUUGGGIIIII!!!!!!!!!"  
  
Suddenly, the door began fading in and out.  
  
"NOOOO!!!!!" Yami shrieked. Daricio screamed and pounded harder.  
  
"YUGI!" She sobbed. "YUGI!!!"  
  
Turning, she slumped against a wall, curling up into a ball and simply crying. Yami stood back away from the door, watching it with wide eyes. "He's... he's... go..ing.." he choked.  
  
Both were totally silent except for their tears. Then...  
  
"Daricio..." Yami whispered.  
  
Daricio looked up. "hmm?"  
  
"The door..."  
  
She looked. It had reappeared! "Yugi!" She began trying to open the door again. This time it opened easily. She and Yami barged back into the room.  
  
Everything in it was wet. Yugi was sitting, exhausted, in the middle of the room. He was also crying. Yami and Daricio rushed over and pulled him into a hug. (Something that would embarrass them when they thought about it later, but for now they didn't care. There was too much relief in the room.)  
  
"What happened?" Daricio asked.  
  
"Joey... When I ordered the attack, it knocked me over. Joey told the Red Eyes on the field to attack him.. Apparently that's part of the Meteor of destruction's effect. It took out the rest of his life points. He went over to help me get out, but ran out of time, and we both went under. I... He got me out, but..."  
  
Daricio looked through Yugi's eyes to see that they were being pulled out of the water. Looking around, though, Joey was nowhere in sight. "He didn't grab his own key??"  
  
Yugi nodded, and tears welled up.  
  
"Somebody needs to get Joey's key!" he said aloud to everybody. Tristan nodded and started to turn to get it, when everybody noticed Serenity diving in, key already in hand.  
  
"Serenity's got it!!" Mokuba yelled. She hit the water and dove downward towards her struggling brother.  
  
She soon passed below the water level where those above the water could see her, and everyone waited with their breaths held.  
  
Suddenly, both Serenity and Joey broke through the water's surface. Joey gulped air gratefully as Serenity pulled him over to everyone else.  
  
The moment everyone was out of the water, Joey began to apologize to Yugi. "I'm so sorry, Yuge. I can't believe I let that creep Marik use me like that!"  
  
Yugi tried to console him, and the rest joined in. Mai even called him a ding-dong.  
  
After a while, they heard a "hrmph" from behind them, and turned to see Kaiba still standing there. "Well, now that everybody is safe once again, I suggest that we head to the arena where the finals are being held." He turned and began to walk.  
  
"Kaiba." Yugi called after him.  
  
Kaiba stopped and turned slightly. "What?"  
  
Yugi's big eyes had tears. "Thank you."  
  
Kaiba rolled his eyes and turned back. "Whatever. Come on, Mokuba."  
  
"Ok, big brother!" Mokuba scurried energetically after him.  
  
They quickly passed out of sight.  
  
Yugi sighed. Joey cleared his throat. "Yugi?"  
  
Yugi turned.  
  
"I believe this belongs to you." Joey said, removing the Millennium Puzzle from around his neck and handing it back to Yugi. Yugi smiled at him. "Thanks for helping me out, Yuge."  
  
Yugi nodded, then turned his attention back to his soul room. Yami was standing beside him, still looking somewhat frazzled and worried. Daricio was next to him, looking extremely relieved and exhausted.  
  
"Thank you too, guys. You trusted me to be able to handle the duel, and you stood by me all the way." Yugi said honestly, looking down. "I'm sorry... I didn't want even more people to get hurt..."  
  
Daricio nodded. "I understand. But you scared us." She said softly. Then she grinned. "You should have seen Yami freak. He looked hilarious."  
  
Yami gave her a sideways glance as Yugi laughed. "I didn't see YOU doing any better." He commented.  
  
Daricio grinned innocently.  
  
They were startled out of their conversations by Joey saying, "Hey, we should get going. It's already dark, and knowing Kaiba, he WILL start without us."  
  
Yugi nodded, and the group headed out. After walking about a block in silence, a small blue car screeched around a corner, heading down the street towards them. When the driver spotted the group walking down the sidewalk together, he stopped rather abruptly, causing the car to almost skid sideways right into them.  
  
Mai yelped. "Hey! Watch where you're going!!! You drive worse than I do!"  
  
The driver hopped out of the car, pointing through the crowd at Yugi, totally ignoring Mai's remark. "Yugi Moto! I have been looking for you all day! I must speak with you!"  
  
Yugi sweatdropped. "Um... Who are you?"  
  
The man bowed. "My name is Dr. Thomas S. Gice." He said, straightening again.  
  
Yugi fidgeted. "I'm... Sorry, I don't think I've met you before."  
  
Mr. Gice laughed. "No, Yugi, you haven't. But I've been watching you and your friend for a while. And I need to talk to you and to her."  
  
"Her? You mean Tea?" Yugi asked, confused.  
  
(A/n: I keep wanting to type Anzu instead of Tea!!! ''')  
  
Mr. Gice face faulted. "You know who I'm talking about, Yugi. I need to talk to her."  
  
"Daricio?" Yugi asked.  
  
Mr. Gice nodded. "Yes. Daricio. I must tell you both something."  
  
The rest of the gang looked confused. Yugi turned to them. "You guys go on ahead. I've got locater cards, I'll catch up, ok?"  
  
They nodded slowly, and headed off.  
  
Yugi turned back to the old scientist. As he did so, Daricio came out in a visible spirit form, looking Mr. Gice over strangely.  
  
Mr. Gice nodded at her. "Hello."  
  
"How do you know of me?" she asked rather bluntly.  
  
"I'll explain that in a moment. First, there's something important I have to tell you. You have noticed that you're being followed, and I know who's following you." Mr. Gice said.  
  
Daricio and Yugi looked at each other, and then back to Mr. Gice. Now was the moment to see if Mr. Gice knew how Marik had managed to get to Daricio's world...

* * *

Chappie done! Chappie done! Chappie done! And Mr. Gice finally meets up with the main characters of the story and becomes an important plot device- I mean character!  
  
Bakura: ' uh huh...  
  
Next chappie is the really really really really really cool chappie!   
  
Roo: Why? ... Oh, wait, I think I know.  
  
Daricio: Yup! It's the one where Roo-y does weird things.  
  
Roo: Joy.  
  
Malik: This was a weird chapter. Why did you stuff in a Marik POV?  
  
Daricio: I felt like it!  
  
Bakura: How come I'm not in this chapter?  
  
Daricio: Gomen, Bakura. You're in the next one a lot.  
  
Bakura: Oh, ok.... Nothing bad happens to me, right?  
  
Daricio: Well, it's the Roo/Yami duel in there, but other than that, which you guys already know what happens with that, nope, you don't have anything bad happen to you.  
  
Bakura: Oh, ok. That's good.  
  
Roo: rolls eyes Why did you end this chappie on a huge cliffhanger, anyway? Especially such a stupid cliffhanger?  
  
Daricio: sniff It's not stupid...  
  
Malik: rolls eyes as well Crybaby. turns to Reviewers Now Review, you fools. posts chapter before Daricio can say anything else. 


	34. Yugi vs Bakura! Daricio's kidnapped!

Hi Everybody!  
  
Random crowd: Hi Doctor Nick!  
  
Daricio: o.O'''' um... kicks crowd out of the room  
  
Malik: That was strange.  
  
Roo: Who in the heck is Doctor Nick?  
  
Daricio: (shrug) But anyway, welcome everybody to the newest chapter of Where's Yugi!  
  
Bakura: (clap clap)   
  
Roo: (sits there)  
  
Daricio: (nudge)  
  
Roo: -.- (clap) (monotone) yay.  
  
Daricio: (Very happy face)  
  
Roo: ... you need mental help.  
  
Daricio: I know... I had an appointment with a psychiatrist last Tuesday...  
  
Malik: ... (raises eyebrow) Seriously?  
  
Daricio: Possibly. But let's get on with the ficcie!!!!!  
  
Roo: Yeah, that way we get to stop listening to Daricio blab.  
  
Daricio: (Happy look) And instead we get to see Roo-y do stuffs!  
  
Roo: -.- joy.  
  
Malik: I'd think you'd have fun with this chapter.  
  
Roo: Not when certain people who don't already know what happens in this chapter proceed to hurt me when it's over.  
  
Malik: Oh.  
  
Daricio: ' Uh huh... Anyways, a few short notes... When this switches to a Joey POV, and he starts talking about Marik, you have to remember that he thinks that Rishid IS Marik at this point. And so does Yugi and Yami, so don't get confused by any descriptions that are given by them...  
  
Also, sorry for the lack of long chappies! And the lack of long sections in this chappie! ' I have certain things planned out for what I want in each section, and so the only things in them need to be in them... I think...  
  
OH, and... Don't hurt Roo-y too much when this is over. I still kind of need him later.   
  
So anyways, read on for the chappie!!

* * *

{Yugi}  
  
Mr. Gice took a breath and began to explain. "You know about the FWC's and their Pic Tech, right?"  
  
Yugi and Daricio nodded.  
  
"Good, I don't have to explain it to you then. See, I'm a scientist, and I've been studying the freaky world's cameras. I managed to catch one, and using it, I created-"  
  
"Your own version." Yugi finished, recognition dawning on his face. "Riiiiiight, I remember now. We saw a bit of your broadcast, remember, Daricio?"  
  
Daricio nodded. "Yeah. So you've been seeing who's been following us?"  
  
Mr. Gice nodded. "yes, somewhat unfortunately. See, part of the FWC that I haven't been able to copy is being able to communicate with people at times. They may have thought that mine was allowing me to tell you things about their company. They've been trying to avoid publicity about their technology." He explained.  
  
There was silence for a moment as Yugi and Daricio processed the fact that they had been wrong about the identity of their pursuers.  
  
"Well, that's better than what WE thought we were being followed for. And actually, it's not entirely your fault, sir." Daricio said. "We had already heard of the technology, and I even have tins with the Pic Tech on it, so they were probably already following us before you started watching."  
  
Mr. Gice smiled. "Ok, that's good. Hate to think I had sicced those guys on you."  
  
Yugi looked somewhat puzzled. (No pun intended). "But wait... If it's not Marik that was following us, then how does HE know about Daricio as well?"  
  
"Marik? Marik Ishtar? Isn't he that Egyptian fellow that's been causing trouble with his rare hunters around here lately? I swear I almost ran into those punks at least 15 times today." Mr. Gice said, grimacing.  
  
Daricio nodded. "Yeah, that's who we thought was following us. He's got some sort of grudge against Yugi and Yami for some reason. Do you know anything about him?"  
  
Mr. Gice shook his head. "No more than you probably already know. I haven't been watching him. But... You're going to the finals for Battle City, right? You said you had locator cards?"  
  
"Yeah, I do." Yugi confirmed.  
  
"Then chances are that he will be there as well, am I correct?"  
  
Yugi nodded. "I suppose you're right."  
  
"Then I'll come with you." Mr. Gice decided. "From there, I can study Marik, and see if I can find out what he's up to for you. It's the least I can do for spying on you." He said, nodding at Daricio.  
  
Daricio smiled. "It's no problem, really... As long as you weren't watching when I was... you know..."  
  
Mr. Gice blushed. "No, don't worry. I'm not THAT much of a pervert."  
  
Daricio blushed as well. "Ok, good."  
  
There was a slightly uncomfortable silence for a moment as Daricio wished she hadn't said anything, and then Mr. Gice offered to take the two of them to the finals in his car.  
  
"Thanks." Yugi said as he got in. Daricio nodded to him, and disappeared back into Yugi's soul room so that there'd be more room in the car when they caught up with the others.  
  
When they did catch up, the others all got in as well, and the rest of the ride to the spot marked on the map that popped up due to the presence of locator cards on the Duel Disk went in silence.  
  
Very soon, they pulled up to Domino's football stadium.  
  
Joey got out of the car, smirking at the stadium. "Football?" he wondered aloud.  
  
Yugi just shrugged, and they all went inside.

* * *

{Kaiba}  
  
Kaiba stood by the side of the field of the football stadium, looking up into the sky. He was waiting for the blimp to arrive. It wasn't there yet for some reason.  
  
Not that anybody was there at the stadium yet anyway. Well, nobody besides him, Mokuba, and his employees, of course.  
  
'Spoke too soon' Kaiba thought to himself as he heard footsteps in the doorway that indicated that a semi-large group of people had arrived.  
  
He didn't turn as they came in. He already knew who it was just by listening to them come in. Yugi's gang.  
  
Still searching the sky, even though he knew that he didn't need to, (he'd see the blimp if it came in, obviously, even if he wasn't looking up,) he listened as everyone there greeted Mokuba and himself and then began to chatter amongst themselves.  
  
Kaiba's relative silence didn't last long, however. Soon, he felt a tap on his shoulder, and he looked down.  
  
"Why, Hello! Fancy meeting you here!" Mr Gice said, smiling warmly.  
  
Kaiba returned his attention to the sky without even a simple hello in return, this time just to ignore the smaller man.  
  
"Heeeey, that's no way to greet an old friend!" Mr. Gice complained, stepping around to the other side of Kaiba and tugging on one of the belts hanging off of his sleeve. "What's with all the belts, Kaiba? They're not doing anything! They're just sitting there... hanging... Looking very strange..."  
  
Mr. Gice continued to circle Kaiba, studying the belts and pulling on a few of them. Kaiba rolled his eyes, still attempting to ignore him, and Mokuba tried to hide a smile.  
  
"Coool, is this a KaibaCorp jacket? I can tell, it's got that KC symbol riiiight there!" Mr. Gice poked the symbol, inadvertently activating the communicator hidden there with a beep. "Oooooohh"  
  
"Hey!" Kaiba finally reacted to Mr. Gice's prodding enough to reach up and switch the communicator off again. Then he turned to face him. "How did you get out of the insane asylum anyway?"  
  
"Well, there was this spiffy little door handle..." Mr. Gice began.  
  
Kaiba groaned. "Oh, just be quiet. You're giving me a headache."  
  
Mr. Gice grinned. "Really? Oh, I'm sorry, I'll go join Yugi and his group again, then, shall I? Goodbye, Mr. Thedoor."  
  
He trotted off, leaving Kaiba standing there looking exasperated.  
  
Kaiba sighed, staring up at the sky and wondering why whatever god existed in the world hated him so much... and why in the heck that creep was following Yugi around... and why Yugi was letting him...  
  
(A/n: That was fun. )

* * *

{Daricio}  
  
Daricio hung by the door to her own soul room as they all went inside.  
  
The stadium was larger than it looked on the outside, and once they went in and looked past Kaiba, who was standing next to the field with Mokuba and a few of his goonies, gazing up at the sky, Daricio looked around (from Yugi's eyes) the place with wide eyes.  
  
She didn't particularly like watching football games all that much, but even by her standards, the stadium was huge!  
  
Exciting as the whole tournament thing was, though, she couldn't help feeling a little bit nervous about all of them finally meeting that coward Marik face to face.  
  
She had manage to catch the end of an episode that showed Marik's face, so she knew what he looked like, but Yugi had been dueling with Arkana while it was on, and neither he or Yami had seen him.  
  
She sighed as Yugi talked with everyone for a minute and Mr. Gice went off to bug Kaiba. It was all really frustrating, with the episodes being so slow that she couldn't get any more background information to Marik than what she already had.  
  
"So, Kaiba. We're going to be dueling in the football field?" Joey complained. "How unoriginal!"  
  
Kaiba snorted, checking his watch and shooting a glare at Joey before returning his gaze to the sky. "No, you idiot. We're not dueling here. It's late."  
  
"Late? It's only 8:00..." Tea commented.  
  
"Not that" Kaiba said simply, rolling his eyes, obviously irritated.  
  
"Then what?" she asked.  
  
"You'll see." He said simply. Tea looked slightly annoyed.  
  
The nervous chatter between the waiting people began again after a while, and then Kaiba blinked and smiled. "Finally."  
  
"What, Kai-"Tea started. She stopped when she saw the huge blimp soaring into view and began to land in the stadium.  
  
Kaiba turned to her. "THAT." He said.  
  
She stared. "Oh."  
  
Kaiba rolled his eyes again and began walking toward the landing blimp. Daricio smiled.  
  
"Now we just have to wait for the remaining finalists." Kaiba mused to himself as he walked.  
  
(A/n: Hmmm... Kaiba muses.....  
  
Malik: No.  
  
Daricio: Aw....)  
  
Almost as if on cue, footfalls could be heard from the entryway of the arena and everyone turned to see who had arrived. It was Bakura!  
  
As soon as he reached where everyone else was standing, Joey went up to him worriedly.  
  
"Bakura, you shouldn't be here! You should be back in the hospital!" he said.  
  
But Bakura looked cheerful. "No, really, I'm fine. The doctors said it wasn't that big of a wound, and that I could go home. And besides, I didn't want to miss the finals!"  
  
Joey looked pleased. "Cool! So are you a finalist?"  
  
Bakura simply held up his locator cards with a smile on his face.  
  
"Awesome!" Tea told him. "That's really cool!"  
  
Bakura just shrugged, but looked happy about it all the same.  
  
Daricio, Yugi, and Yami hadn't known that Bakura had been hurt, but now that they looked at him, they could see the bandage around his left arm. Daricio was glad that he was ok, though.  
  
They all stood in relative silence, watching the stadium entrance for the next person to arrive. (Did you know that it is physically impossible for a group of teenagers to be totally silent? -.- I learned that in my German class...) There were still 3 more finalists that weren't there yet, and one of them was bound to be Marik.  
  
(A/n: (counts finalists, hoping that she's not forgetting everybody) Kaiba, Joey, Yugi, Mai, Bakura, Marik, and Rishid.... And Isis. . Can't forget Isis.)  
  
Footfalls sounded once again, and everybody (except for Kaiba, Mokuba, Bakura, and the goonies) tensed, waiting to see who it was. The shadow of the person could be seen, coming closer and closer. Finally, he stepped into the light, a determined look dominating his features.  
  
Marik Ishtar. Daricio grit her teeth and glanced over towards where Yugi and Yami were standing, their attention totally focused on the newcomer. Their expressions were unreadable.  
  
(A/n: tries to convince her spell checker that I'm not trying to spell "Ashtray" when I type "Ishtar")  
  
Joey ran forward. "I know you." He said forcefully. Daricio nodded in agreement, even though nobody was watching her.  
  
"You're Namu, right?"  
  
Daricio face faulted. "Who?" she asked in confusion. Yugi and Yami shrugged.  
  
Daricio tried to say more, but the words stuck in her throat. She watched in horror as Joey began talking cheerfully with their worst enemy.  
  
"So what happened earlier with those Rare Hunters, Namu? You ok?" Joey wondered.  
  
"It was strange, really. I got knocked around a bit, and knocked out. When I came to, you guys were gone, and so were they! I'm very relieved to see that you're ok!" Marik returned easily, with a look on his face that made him look truly relieved.  
  
Daricio turned red as she realized what must have happened. She opened her mouth to tell Yugi and Yami her thoughts and to tell them exactly who "Namu" really was, but suddenly she heard a short dull 'thunk' that was accompanied by a sharp pain in the back of her head.  
  
She had just enough time to realize that she had just gotten knocked out before everything went black. Her last sight was a flash of white.  
  
(a/n: I have a lot of stories that end up having POV's of people just as they get knocked out from behind. O.o')

* * *

{Joey}  
  
Joey was glad that so many of his friends were actually there at the tournament with him. With everything that he and Yugi were going to have to go through to defeat Marik, (who kept freaking Joey out with those piercing golden eyes constantly glaring at him), they were going to need all the support they could get.  
  
And hey, maybe he could talk Mai, Bakura, Namu, and Kaiba into helping them take Marik down! Well... Maybe not Kaiba, but the rest of them, definitely! And besides that, he wanted to ask Bakura something.  
  
With this goal in mind, Joey moved from the banquet table he had claimed for himself to go talk to Bakura about it.  
  
"Hey, Bakura." He said as he sidled up next to him. Bakura jumped slightly, then he smiled at Joey.  
  
"Oh, Hello Joey. Didn't see you there."  
  
Joey grinned. "Eh, that's ok. Say, I wanted to talk to you about something. You didn't have a duel disk on when Namu brought you to us earlier. Did you start all of your dueling after you got out of the hospital?" he asked.  
  
Bakura shook his head. "No, actually. I've been dueling for quite a bit of the day. I managed to get 5 locator cards total, but then I went and got myself mugged." He said, looking sheepish. "He took my duel disk and most of my locator cards, but he left me with 1. He didn't take my deck, though..."  
  
Joey nodded. "He might have heard Namu coming." He suggested.  
  
Bakura shrugged. "Or maybe he was just stupid. Who knows?"  
  
"So how'd you get the rest of your locator cards?"  
  
"I asked around as to the whereabouts of duelists. I was directed to the graveyard. Creepy place, that." Bakura said with a small smile. "But there were duelists there. I did an all or nothing match with one of them."  
  
"And they let you do that?" Joey wondered.  
  
Bakura smiled. "Well, let's just say I didn't give them much of a choice."  
  
Joey grinned and turned away. "Well, see ya later, Bakura."  
  
Bakura nodded. "Yes, good luck with your dueling!"  
  
As soon as Bakura was out of earshot, Joey shuddered to himself, muttering something about graveyards and bad seafood. He then remembered why he had actually been going to talk to Bakura in the first place.  
  
He was just about to turn around and ask him when Roland, the official judge of Battle City, began to address the crowd of duelists.  
  
"Attention duelists! The order of dueling in the semifinals is about to be chosen! Please gather around!"  
  
Joey sighed and dumped his paper plate in the trash, moving to go listen to him. "So how's this going to work?" he asked nobody in particular.  
  
Roland turned to Kaiba, who nodded at him to continue. He then pressed a button that made what looked like a big Blue Eyes Ultimate Dragon with a bubble on one of it's heads pop slowly out of the floor.  
  
Joey raised an eyebrow. "Figures." He muttered.  
  
"I heard that, Wheeler." Kaiba said, glaring at him.  
  
"Heard what?" Joey asked, looking innocent and sidestepping further away from him.  
  
Kaiba simply rolled his eyes and gestured at Roland to continue. He explained to everyone how the chooser thing-o worked. Then he started it to choose who would be the first two to go against each other.  
  
This turned out to be Bakura and Yugi. There was very little conversation after this, at least as far as Joey was concerned, and then the duelists were told to go up to the top of the blimp where the duel was taking place.  
  
Yugi VS. Bakura, Joey thought to himself. This should be interesting.

* * *

{Yugi}  
  
"Yami! Where's Daricio?" Yugi called, feeling anxious. Yami blinked, looking around the soul room.  
  
"I'm not sure." He admitted, frowning. "I thought she was here watching. Have you checked her soul room?" Yugi nodded. "And in the puzzle?"  
  
Another nod. "As far as I could, anyway. She's not there!" Now Yugi was starting to feel panicked. "Yami, what if Marik really DID find a way to get to her?!"  
  
Yami sighed, returning his attention to his and Yugi's surroundings, the elevator leading upward and Bakura across from them shrouded in shadow.  
  
I don't know, Yugi. I hope with all my heart that that's wrong, but I don't know.  
  
{Bakura}  
  
Bakura paced his soul room, deep in thought. Pacing was probably just wasting all of whatever energy he had left, but he wasn't sure what else he should do.  
  
Radley was out, parading around pretending to be him. Bakura wasn't sure exactly where he was at the moment, but he hoped that he wasn't getting them into too much trouble.  
  
Radley hadn't let Bakura see what was going on at all since he had actually let him rest for a while at the hospital. (Speaking of which, he hoped that Yugi's Grandpa was ok. Soon after Radley forced him back to his soul room once again, he had heard Radley laughing, and the only person that had been in the room at the time had been Mr. Moto.)  
  
It had been almost two hours since then, and Bakura just hoped that his yami wouldn't force him out into some uncomfortable situation where he had no idea what was going on.  
  
Bakura's soul room door opened, and Bakura froze, watching Radley enter the room, something slung over his shoulder.  
  
"What's tha- Radley!?" Bakura cried as Radley flopped what he was holding into the middle of the room and started to leave.  
  
"Here, a friend. To keep you company." Radley left the room, cackling to himself.  
  
Bakura turned his attention to what Radley had brought in, and gasped when he realized that it was a girl, who looked to be about his age.  
  
Quickly, he picked her up and laid her on the bed in his soul room. Using his first aid skills, he checked her over and was relieved to find that her only injury was a bump on the head.  
  
Even after all the moving around, she was out cold, and all Bakura could really do for the moment was watch her and hope she woke up soon so he could ask her if she knew what was going on.  
  
He sighed and sat down in a chair next to the bed.  
  
Trying to find something to do to help her, he took out a cold compress and put in on her head. Even if she didn't have a fever, it would help the pain go down a little.  
  
After a little while of this, he bit his lip and glanced at the door, wondering how and why Radley had brought her in here. Probably something that that stupid Marik had wanted him to do.  
  
Bakura rubbed his arm, which didn't really ache at the moment since he was in his soul room, but that seemed to feel hurt just at the mere thought of Marik. Suddenly, he heard a small noise and looked back at the girl just as she started to stir.  
  
He backed the chair up a little so that she wouldn't be startled when she awoke.  
  
She mumbled something to herself and her eyes fluttered open. The first thing she did was reach up and rub her head. "Where am I?" she asked.  
  
"You're in my soul room." Bakura answered after a moment.  
  
She blinked, looking somewhat surprised, and tried to sit up on the bed, looking over at him. "B... Bakura?" she asked softly.  
  
Now it was Bakura's turn to be surprised, and he nodded. "Yes, that is my name. I'm... afraid I don't know yours, though."  
  
She blinked. "Oh, sorry. I'm Daricio."  
  
Bakura cocked his head, remembering something. "Daricio? Hey, aren't you the person that those really big people were looking for?"  
  
Daricio was confused for a moment, then she nodded. "Oh, yeah. They found me, though. They're my brother and sister."  
  
"Ah, I see."  
  
There was silence for a moment, then Daricio asked, "Um, sorry if I'm supposed to know this already, but what am I doing in your soul room, and how did I get here?"  
  
"I'm not entirely sure, really. I've been locked in here for a while, and I can't see what Radley's been doing. I assume that he kidnapped you, though..."  
  
Daricio blinked. "Who's Radley?"  
  
"My yami." Bakura explained. "Radley was his name back in ancient Egypt."  
  
"Ah." Daricio thought about this for a moment, a small smile appearing on her face.  
  
Bakura sat on the bed next to her. "So... Radley wouldn't tell me anything about it, but what were you doing that made him want to kidnap you? Or do you remember?"  
  
Daricio shrugged helplessly. "I'm not entirely sure what I've done to get him in particular mad. I've never actually met him personally, just seen him before. It might have something to do with somebody named Marik, though. You heard of him?"  
  
Bakura's face darkened. "Yeah, I know him. He and Radley are working together to try and win the Millennium Items." He said, fingering the Millennium Ring. "Radley agreed to join a tournament called Battle City and get an Egyptian God card for Marik from Yugi. In exchange, Marik's going to give him two Items."  
  
Daricio nodded slowly. "That explains why you were at the finals matches, then."  
  
Bakura's eyes flew up to meet hers in surprise. "I was at the finals matches?" he asked. "The tournament's gotten that far already?"  
  
Daricio nodded. "Yeah. What, has Radley been in control that entire time?"  
  
"Yes." Bakura said, looking down. "What were you doing at the finals? Are you a finalist?"  
  
Daricio shook her head. "No, but you are. And so's Yugi. I was there watching him. Sort of, anyway..."  
  
"What do you mean, sort of?"  
  
"Well, I wasn't really there, per say... See, I have a mind link with Yugi, and I was watching from there."  
  
"Oh, I see. Well, that explains how Radley got you into here, then. He has a link with Yugi as well."  
  
Daricio looked surprised. "He what??"  
  
"Well, sort of. He put a piece of his soul into a part of Yugi's puzzle once, and he goes looking around in there now and then. We actually have most of the puzzle mapped out, and we can navigate around it pretty easily. Radley's favorite room is one where there's a switch that shifts all the rooms around a little bit."  
  
Daricio blinked. "Oh, yeah... right... Well, that's two mysteries solved, then. Now I know who's been doing that, and I know who's been sneaking around my soul room..."  
  
Bakura smiled sheepishly. "I suppose..." he said, not admitting that before Radley had betrayed him, he had been doing some of the 'sneaking' while trying to map out the puzzle.  
  
The two of them sat talking for about 10 more minutes, for a lack of anything better to do, before they were interrupted by a dark chuckle from the doorway.  
  
"I see your little friend finally decided to wake up, Ryou." Radley said, smirking and leaning up against the door frame.  
  
"Roo, leave her alone." Bakura said tiredly.  
  
Radley grinned sadistically. "Not like you can do anything about it." He turned to address Daricio. "I hope my aibou hasn't been too entirely annoying, kid." He said, putting a sarcastic emphasis on the word aibou and nodding at her. "Now come here, there's something I need you to see."  
  
"Why just me, and not Bakura too?" Daricio ventured.  
  
Radley gave her a calculating look. "Kid, you better stick to subjects that concern you if you know what's good for you. Get over here before I have to drag you over. And believe me, that won't be fun."  
  
Daricio quickly stood and walked over to him. "What?"  
  
Radley gave her a small sniff of disapproval and pushed her through the doorway, closing the door. "Over here, you dolt."

* * *

{Daricio}  
  
"So what's so interesting in here?" Daricio asked the ring spirit, perhaps a little too boldly. They were in the soul room of the Ring.  
  
Radley rolled his eyes. "Not what's in here, Kid. I've hooked things up so that you can only be in control of Ryou's body from this room rather than from his own soul room, so I had to bring you in here in order to show you what's going on. Now look."  
  
Daricio blinked, not expecting that, but concentrated on looking out through Bakura's eyes.  
  
Radley was currently walking out of an elevator towards a platform, disguised as Bakura. His eyes were trained mostly on the ground, but he looked up at his surroundings for Daricio's sake.  
  
(A/n: No, not Sake'... sake sake' sake sake' there's a difference.)  
  
Once they were on the platform, along with Yami, who was walking a few feet away, it began to rise up.  
  
Don't even try calling out to that stupid pharaoh, Kid. He won't be able to hear you. I've got control at the moment; you're just watching.Radley told Daricio firmly. She mentally nodded, continuing to observe.  
  
Yami activated his duel disk, and Daricio realized that he and Radley must be dueling for Battle City. This was confirmed a few moments later when the elevator opened again, and the rest of the gang shuffled out, staring in slight awe at the dueling arrangements.  
  
Roland announced the beginning of the duel, and both players drew the cards for their hand.  
  
Just my luck to go up against Yugi this soon and take him out early, wasn't it?Radley said to Daricio, mostly just talking to hear himself talk.  
  
Daricio decided to answer him back. They'll beat you. Like they did last time.  
  
In the soul room, Radley glared at her. "You've got a big mouth, Kid. And besides that, you've got a lot to learn about dueling strategies. See, in a duel, you could go up against somebody much weaker than you and still end up losing, mostly because that's the way Duel Monsters works. It's all half luck. That duel in Duelist Kingdom was one of those types of flukes. Now keep watching and keep your mouth shut. There's still more."  
  
Daricio's lips tightened together. She hated when people acted like they were better than her, but in this case she decided she had better just comply with what he was saying, mostly because he actually WAS more powerful than she was.  
  
It didn't take long before Yami figured out who exactly it was he was dueling with, and Radley gave up his Bakura impressions, letting his hair fly wild.  
  
As the two of them dueled, Radley quickly gaining the upper hand, Radley began talking to Daricio again.  
  
Ok, lesson number one, Kid. When I win this duel, as it is fairly obvious that I'm going to do just that, your only link back to your world will be completely severed. Won't that be just great for you? You'll be trapped here, nothing but a soul residing within the mind of a pathetic boy, as I have for so long.  
  
Daricio stared out at Yami, who grimly played another monster down in an attempt to guard his life points.  
  
He'll win...Daricio told Radley. He just laughed.  
  
You don't sound very sure of that, do you?he mocked her. That's lesson number two. I always win.  
  
He'll win.Daricio repeated, mostly to herself. He has to...

* * *

{Yami} (Later)  
  
Yami placed his Egyptian God Card on the field, still upset that he had to use the powerful God in order to win.  
  
The use of the Egyptian God cards was not a thing to be taken lightly, and Yami knew it, even if he had only known of their existence for a little less than two days.  
  
The spirit of the Millennium Ring, the Evil Bakura, looked confident, obviously having never seen an Egyptian god card before.  
  
As Slifer the Sky Dragon's head appeared, body stretching vastly upward and curling around the blimp about half a million times, the mists from Dark Sanctuary were brushed aside, its effect scattered.  
  
Evil Bakura didn't seem very worried about this, however.  
  
"Nice dragon." He said snidely, glancing up at it and smirking. "But no matter how powerful you make it, it still can't get past my set-up, even with Dark Sanctuary unavailable."  
  
Yami kept his face neutral. "So you think."  
  
Evil Bakura laughed. "My Spirit of the Silent, possess his dragon!"  
  
The holographic spirit/skeleton raced for Slifer, but disappeared once it touched the huge dragon's surface. The Evil Bakura looked shocked. "...But..."  
  
"That's the power of an Egyptian God card." Yami said matter-of-factly. "Slifer the Sky Dragon! Atta-"  
  
"Wait just a minute, pharaoh." Marik's voice came floating up from behind him.  
  
Yami turned, a growl in his throat. "What do you want?"  
  
"I have the Spirit of the Millennium Ring under my control, and if you attack him, I can force him to relinquish his control on his host, Bakura, leaving him vulnerable to your attack!" Marik explained in his usual nasty monotone, holding the Rod up and letting the light gleam across it to prove his point.  
  
Yami blinked. "You can control the spirit with a Millennium Item?" he asked skeptically.  
  
"I'll prove it to you." Marik said, sounding unruffled by the Pharaoh's skepticism.  
  
He held the Millennium Rod up and it glowed faintly. Yami whirled to look at Evil Bakura.  
  
He had a look of surprise on his face for a second or two, then he looked annoyed. Finally, the Millennium Ring began to glow, and Yami had to cover his eyes.  
  
When the glow subsided, instead of the Spirit standing there, there was Bakura. And this time it wasn't just the spirit pretending to be him...  
  
Bakura looked confused for a moment before collapsing to his knees and holding his left bandaged arm with the other hand. "Wha- Where am I?" he asked aloud, his eyes closed in pain.  
  
"I... Why is there a duel disk on my arm?" Bakura asked in momentary confusion. "Am I dueling somebody?"  
  
Nobody answered him, they were too busy either glaring at Marik or watching him in shock.  
  
"There's more, Pharaoh. Have you been missing somebody? Take a look at your crowd of cheerleaders! Anybody that you don't see?" Marik asked, the same frown on his face as he glared.  
  
"Daricio." Yami murmured.  
  
"Veery good, Pharaoh. Would you like to know where your little girlfriend is at the moment?"  
  
(A/n: oOUU waaaaiiittt.... (fwaps Rishid))  
  
"Marik!" Yami yelled. Marik simply pointed at Bakura, who was now looking over at Rishid strangely with a slightly clouded look in his eyes.  
  
"Just look!"  
  
Suddenly, Bakura's form seemed to split into two as a second individual came out in a temporary physical form, also kneeling on the ground. Daricio.  
  
Yami looked pained. He couldn't attack. Not with both Daricio and Bakura there unintentionally blocking!  
  
Bakura looked over at Daricio. "You know, somehow I just knew he was going to shove me out into a situation where I had no idea what was going on." He said, trying to make a joke. He still looked as though he was in pain and his right hand still clutched at his wound, but his spirits were still fairly high.  
  
As Yami internally fought between trying to decide whether to attack or not, Daricio quickly but quietly filled him in on what was going on.  
  
Soon, however, silence filled the air again. Slifer's occasional roaring and Bakura's heavy breathing was all that broke it. Yami kept looking up at the dragon, then back down at the two in front of him. Worry was etched all over his face.  
  
Yugi was in hysterics, pacing around the soul room somewhat frantically, which wasn't helping Yami decide anything.  
  
'We can't hurt anybody! End our turn, Yami! I don't want anybody else getting hurt!' he cried.  
  
'Yugi...' Yami frowned even more. 'We can't. If we don't attack now, then we lose the duel, and the entire world-'  
  
'I don't care anymore, Yami! No more of my friends are going to get hurt any more! NO MORE!' Yugi sobbed.  
  
Yami couldn't say anything to this that would calm Yugi down so he just put an arm around him comfortingly and let him sob into his shirt as he tried to think of a way around this.  
  
(A/n: NO YAOI. COMFORTING! COMFORTING!)  
  
He didn't have to wait too long, fortunately, because the Millennium Ring began to glow, shrouding the area in light once again, and when it faded, the spirit had once again taken control, laughing madly.  
  
Daricio was still kneeling beside him, however, blocking Yami from attacking...  
  
Yami bit his lip.  
  
"Attack me you fool!" The Spirit cried, the insane grin on his face growing wider at the Pharaoh's indecision.  
  
Daricio glanced at Yami, then back at Evil Bakura, then yelled at Yami. "I can take the attack, Yami! Do it!"  
  
Yami only hesitated for a second, then nodded. "Will you be able to find a way back once this is over?" he asked her.  
  
She nodded firmly. "I'll be fine. Just attack!"  
  
"Okay."  
  
'Is this all right, Yugi?'  
  
'I hope so.'  
  
"Slifer the Sky Dragon! Attack!!"  
  
The dragon's blast filled Bakura's side of the field completely, and when it was over, the spirit was no longer in control, and Bakura was unconscious. The Ring was gone. Daricio's temporary form had disappeared, retreating back to Bakura's soul room.  
  
She was probably out cold, too...  
  
Yami sighed as all the holographics disappeared and several people climbed up onto the dueling stand to help Bakura.  
  
For now, at least, everything was okay.  
  
Now they just had to wait until Daricio was able to find her way back.

* * *

{Bakura}  
  
Bakura sighed as he watched the unconscious forms of Daricio and Radley lie in separate beds in his soul room. He was greatly hoping that Daricio was able to awaken before his yami did, so that he could show her a way out without Radley finding out.  
  
He wasn't sure exactly why Radley had pulled him out of there without pulling Daricio out, but it was rather inconvenient for her.  
  
Bakura knew that it wasn't entirely Daricio's fault that she was caught up in all this, and he knew that at the moment she just wanted to go home, and that's why he was trying to make sure she would be strong enough to do this by the time she woke up.  
  
He continued his first aid stuff wearily for a while before deciding to rest for a while himself. These two would take a while to wake up, and he was getting increasingly tired due to the wear on his physical body.  
  
'Everything will be ok.' He thought to himself. 'Eventually.'

* * *

Yayayayayayayayayayaaaaaaay!!! I finished the chapter!!!!!  
  
(VERY happy look)  
  
...  
  
(Kills QuickEdit) (sweatdrop) This this is very annoying... It killed my double slash thing that I was using to show Yugi an Yami's thoughts!  
  
Will have to write FF.net about this sometime...  
  
Ah well. happy look See you all next chapter!!!  
  
...  
  
IF anybody reviews, that is. -.-

--Daricio


	35. Two Duels, AKA the Boring chapter

Ok, I've been working a lot on Millennium Magic recently more than I've been working on Where's Yugi.... But here, finally, is another chapter of the former story.

I've still been trying to work on finding a new name for the story, BTW... So far, I've got "Lost Souls" from Master of Dimensions, but no other titles have been submitted... A little help here guys? You've already seen the extent of my imagination for creating titles.... It's not much. (sweatdrop)

Other than that, though, I don't really have any opening notes, except for the one that I'm still on vacation and wishing for internet connection....

We're currently camped near a McDonalds, and they usually supply wireless internet connection to anybody near the restaurant... But unfortunately, this one doesn't. -.-U

Ah well, let's get into the story before my muses actually stop watching the scenery in Yellowstone go by and realize that I've done the entire author notes without them... (sweatdrop)

Oh, also... In this chapter, nothing much really actually happens to further the plotline, it's mostly just a chapter that's meant to answer questions and stuffs....

Also, I had a really strange dream the other night that I was writing this chapter, and I was thinking, "Ok, so now Bakura has to do this... hmm... I guess Joey's going to have to take an entire week in order to defeat Rishid....." (sweatdrop) I have the oddest dreams...

Malik: Hey, Daricio? What are you doin- o.o Heeeey, why are you doing all this without us?

Daricio: ummm....

Malik: Oh great. Radley! Kura! You better get over here! Daricio's writing in a bunch of stupid stuff into her story!

Radley: (wanders over) So?

Kura: (follows) That waterfall was reeeally cool, Daricio, you missed it!

Malik: (face fault) Am I the only muse here that cares about the welfare of Daricio's story?

Radley: (nods)

Kura: No, it's just that it's her story, and she should be able to-

Malik: (sigh)

(----Divider----)

{Bakura}

The few times Bakura actually tried to retake control of his body, he had immediately fallen back into his soul room again.

His body was still out cold, and the pain radiating from his left arm was so much that even if it hadn't, Bakura didn't really want to take control anyway.

He knew that he would eventually have to take control again sooner or later, especially if Daricio didn't wake up soon. Somebody had to warn Yami of the true identity of Namu.

He sighed and turned back to attending to Daricio so that when she did wake up, she'd have enough energy to make the trip back to her soul room.

He really didn't feel up to carrying her...

(----Divider----)

(A/n: Yeah, yeah, that was a really stupid POV, so what?)

{Joey}

'This is it', Joey thought. 'Now I'll be able to be able to keep my promise to Yugi. Now I can bring him down.'

He was mainly thinking these things to keep himself feeling confident. Under his cool expression and street boy relaxation, his hands were shaking.

The group had already seen just what Marik was willing to do to gain his prize. He was even willing to kill.

And as far as Marik was concerned, Joey was just another obstacle to be removed at this point. And Joey really didn't want to find out just how far Marik would go to do this.

He climbed into Kaiba's elevator, Marik's huge form following in behind him. Joey mentally shivered.

'All I hafta do to get this guy is to never show that I'm worried. Never let my guard down, and never let him get ahead. I can do this. He's a pushover.' Joey reassured himself, gulping slightly.

Marik stared at him with his usual cold fury across the way, seemingly completely unfazed by Joey's calm.

Joey tried not to be unnerved himself by the cool unblinking stare.

Finally, an eternity later, the elevator reached the top, and the two of them stepped off onto the open air of the blimp.

/The two of them made their way to the dueling platform and it raised itself up. Then the doors of the elevator opened again, letting the spectators of the duel come out.

Roland signaled and the duel began. Joey drew his cards.

He was looking over them, trying to decide what to do for his turn, when his fingers fumbled. He dropped his cards just as a small burst of wind picked them up and began to blow them away.

His eyes opened wide and he scrambled to catch all the cards, mentally cursing himself for paying more attention to strategies and to that stupid Marik than to holding his cards.

His mental bashings continued as Kaiba began laughing at him.

"Shut up, Kaiba. I haven't seen you up here, yet. And whose bright idea was it to have the dueling field up in the open wind, huh?" Joey accused indignantly.

Kaiba just smirked. "Oh, so the little puppy blames his stupidity on his surroundings. Sorry you can't face the conditions of the big league, Wheeler."

Joey was just about to leap upon Kaiba and tear him limb from limb when Marik interrupted.

"If you are all quite done with your little games over there, we have a duel to play out." He said, sounding impatient.

Joey growled and turned back to face Marik. As much as he hated his guts, he was right: Joey had a duel to win.

(----Divider----)

{Daricio}(earlier)

Daricio was surprised to find that her way back to Bakura's soul room was blocked, even as Radley took over Bakura's body again.

"Attack me, you fool!" he screamed at Yami, seeming to forget about her.

She glanced from him to Yami, then yelled "I can take the attack, Yami! Do it!"

"Will you be able to find a way back when this is over?" Yami asked, sounding worried.

She nodded firmly. "I'll be fine. Just attack!"

"Okay."

Even so, Yami hesitated for a second before he called his attack. "Slifer the Sky Dragon! Attack!"

The dragon's blast drew nearer and nearer. Daricio's eyes got wider and she braced herself for when it hit. This was going to hurt.

The blast knocked her temporary physical form completely out of existence. She realized with a cold slap of fear that if Radley didn't open the defenses that were keeping her from going inside, her soul might be lost.

Fortunately, as he himself was slammed into unconsciousness, Radley was forced to let go of the barriers, and she was allowed back in. She sighed in relief as everything around her went black.

And...

Even though she couldn't see anything, she could feel herself seeming to float. She struggled to open her eyes so that she could figure out where she was.

Her feet found solid ground, and the thick blackness slowly began to give way. Light blurred into her eyes, and she slowly began to see the images around her.

She was standing in a large field full of flowers; the sun in the sky was shining bright.

What was she doing here? She was supposed to be... She was supposed to be...

She couldn't remember.

She began to walk around, trying to figure out where she was and why. No matter where she went, though, there was nothing but fields of flowers. She sat down, frustrated and confused after several hours of walking.

She took a deep breath, closed her eyes, and began to think. She couldn't enter her soul room, so she must already BE in her soul room... But this obviously wasn't her soul room, and it wasn't Bakura's soul room either.

She paused. Bakura's soul room? Why would SHE be in Bakura's soul room?

The memories suddenly flooded back to her, and she stood up quickly. Wherever this mental plain was, she had to get back to Yugi's soul room! She had no idea why she didn't point out Namu to him while she was out there in the first place, but it had been rather stupid of her.

It had slipped her mind for some reason... Probably had something to do with Radley's magic...

She began to run, searching the area for any way out. She soon reached a sort of mental barrier, and beyond that barrier was Bakura's soul room!

She banged against it with one fist and then sighed, realizing what had probably happened.

"You are correct, Daricio." A voice directly behind her said clearly. "This is your subconscious."

Daricio jumped, her eyes wide, and she whirled around, coming face to face with the Dark Magician, who was smiling at her.

She blinked. "My subconscious?" she asked.

He nodded. "Yes. Normally, this place functions on its own without any help. Any time a person travels to their soul rooms, they are looking around their active mind, the part that they have to deal with. When a person's mental form is knocked unconscious as well as the body, they go to their subconscious soul room instead."

"But... If this is MY sub-soul room, then wouldn't that mean that I'm actually closer to my own soul room than I am to Bakura's?" Daricio asked, gesturing to Bakura's soul room past the barrier.

The Dark Magician shook his head. "No, Daricio. Your subconscious is actually two parts. One that stays with your body and one that stays with your soul. The one with your body regulates your breathing and heart beating, stuff like that. Your soul doesn't need that, so this subconscious is simply a place for your mental form to go if you've been knocked deeply out."

Daricio blinked. "Oh... But shouldn't I be able to go back to Bakura's soul room at least? I don't mean to be rude or anything, but I sort of have things I need to be doing..."

"Once again, no. Once you're here, you're stuck here until your mental form becomes strong enough to go back yourself."

"Oh." Daricio watched the barrier closely and noted that it was very slowly getting thinner, like a piece of ice. "I see. So it's a sort of a prison."

"More like a hospital." The Dark Magician explained.

"Oh," Daricio turned back to him. "Any particular reason that you're here in my sub-soul room?"

He smiled. "To guide you. Answer your questions."

"But why you of all people? I mean, as far as I've seen, you never talk to anybody..."

"I only talk to those I am loyal to."

"So why are you loyal to me?" she asked, a bemused smile coming across her face.

He laughed. "I think I better sit down! You've got a lot of questions, young Daricio."

Daricio let out a small laugh and sat down beside him so the two of them could talk until the barrier went down.

(A/n: there did used to be a point to that section, but I have forgotten it. (sweatdrop))

(----Divider----)

{Shells}

The moment Daricio announced that she was tired and that she was going to take a nap, Shells had known something was up, but both she and DVD ignored it, figuring that it was something to do with Yugi's world.

When DVD suggested that it was the Battle City finals that were up as they talked about it after dinner, Shells wanted to use Daricio's soul room as a door to go and watch.

"No, Shells, we can't do that." DVD said. "Our link to Daricio is sort of like the link Yugi has with his friends, only a little bit stronger because we've known each other longer."

"Yeah, what does that have to do with Battle City?" Shells asked.

"Well, I'm pretty sure that we have enough of a link to travel to Daricio's soul room, so we'll be able to tell when she's there or not, but I've tried to go to Yugi's soul room before."

"Oh. Didn't work, huh?" Shells asked.

DVD nodded.

"That sucks. Oh well, we'll have to wait until she comes back in order to find out what happens, then." Shells sighed, and the two of them went to wait in Daricio's room so that they could watch some recorded Yu-Gi-Oh episodes as they waited for her to 'return.'

(A/n: Yeah, I WISH I had a TV in my room...)

(----Divider----)

{Marik}

'Use the Winged Dragon of Ra!' Marik commanded, using the thought link he shared with his adoptive brother because of the Millennium Rod.

Rishid glanced at him with a worried look. 'But Master... Those without the Ancient Egyptian backgrounds that attempt to harness the power of the gods will-"

'You're MY brother, Rishid. That will be enough. Now use its power!" Marik thought angrily. His brother was being rather annoying.

'Y-yes Master.' Rishid returned shakily, turning back to his dueling opponent.

Marik reached up to massage his temples. He had a headache all of a sudden. It wasn't a good sign...

"You ok, Namu?" He heard a voice ask him. His head snapped up quickly and he saw Tea looking at him worriedly.

Quickly he put on a smile and hid the Rod further behind his back. "Yes, I'm fine, Tea, thanks. I'm just worried for Joey. This Marik guy seems really dangerous..."

Tea nodded. "Yeah, I'm worried too. But he seems to be doing ok so far."

Marik agreed with her, and fell silent, watching Rishid free his God Card.

"Behold, Joey! Your worst nightmare! Come out, Winged Dragon of Ra!" he called. The box in the temple opened, and the holographic card emerged, and then disappeared.

Rishid looked fully scared now. "Come forth!" he called.

The storm above seemed to gain strength, and Rishid's fear grew even more.

"So where is this all powerful dragon, Marik?" Joey taunted. "It doesn't seem to like you."

Marik let out a soft growl. Joey was right. The God was mad at Rishid now.

Lightning began to literally pour from the sky, never striking anything, but creating a mad show of light. Electrons made everyone's hair that wasn't already standing up stand up.

(A/n: (cough)Yami(cough))

Thunder roared around them, making anything said unintelligible.

Tea screamed in fear, Duke's eyes were open wide and even Mai seemed a little shocked. Kaiba looked slightly amused at everybody else's fear. Mokuba was hiding in his trench coat.

Rishid's eyes closed as he realized what might happen to those who angered the God and he calmly accepted his fate.

A bolt of lightning streaked down headed for the very center of the duelist field, and then divided into two, hitting both duelists squarely in the head.

Marik called out in a sudden moment of panic for his brother, and then the headache overcame him completely. He doubled over in pain.

Faintly, he heard cries of alarm, but he knew that they weren't worried about him. He had been standing behind everybody, and besides that, some people had just been hit by lightning.

'Rishid... Rishid...' He called out mentally. He could feel himself blacking out. He couldn't let that happen. He COULDN'T....

'Rishid!' His brother was already out cold. There was nobody left to turn to. Nobody. But he couldn't let all these people die. Sure, the Pharaoh might deserve anything that would happen when he did black out, but not all these others...

Too many innocents... And no way to know who or why any of it...

"Yugi! Look at Namu! Something's happening!" Tea's voice broke through his fading thoughts.

One last time, the Millennium Rod activated. He had to see what happened to his body that made things happen...

All light was gone, and his very soul was pushed aside. His only ticket to seeing the outside world was in Tea's hands now...

The last thing he heard was insane laughter....

(----Divider----)

{Daricio}

"Oh, and that's what was back there... and that's why the Magician guarding that room in the puzzle wouldn't let Shadi through?" Daricio asked.

"Yes, that's the only reason why. Pretty simple concept." The Dark Magician replied.

Daricio nodded, and then looked back at the barrier. "When exactly does this thing thin out?"

The Dark Magician placed his hand against it. "It's different for each person. We've been sitting here for a few hours, though." He pushed.

A crack appeared and Daricio grinned. She also placed her hands against the barrier, and she shoved with all her strength. It shattered, and each of the pieces faded.

Daricio turned to say thank you to the Dark Magician, but he had gone. She blinked. "Odd..."

She shrugged and ran to Bakura's soul room.

Everything suddenly went black again, and then she opened her eyes. She was apparently in a bed in his soul room, and she could sense him sitting near her.

She sat up, feeling slightly dizzy.

"Oh, good, you're up." Bakura said, sounding relieved. "Can you stand?"

"I think so..." Daricio replied. She tried, and found that she could. "Ok. Bakura, can you take me-"

"Back to Yugi's soul room? Yeah, of course." He said, smiling. "Come on."

The two of them walked outside Bakura's soul room to the corridor that connected him to his Yami. At the end of the hallway, on Radley's side of the room, there was a sort of magic portal.

The two of them stepped inside, and Daricio found herself inside the Millennium Puzzle. She grinned. "That's a cool trick."

Bakura nodded and continued to lead the way. It wasn't very long before Daricio started recognizing things, and then Bakura pointed out the main door back to Yugi's soul room.

Thanking him over and over again, she hurried inside. Bakura politely bowed, and turned back towards his own soul room with a small sigh.

Yugi's soul room was empty, except for the usual bed and toys. Daricio realized that Yugi and Yami were merged, and she wondered whether they were in yet another duel.

She closed her mental eyes in order to look through Yugi's physical ones along with them.

Lightning flashes filled her vision, and thunder rumbled loudly. She could hear people shouting, but Yugi's attention was on the dark stormy skies.

So that she didn't distract him by changing his vision so that she could look around, she quickly took a temporary physical form; one that only Yugi and Yami could see.

Up on the dueling field, Joey had been going against the fake Marik, whoever he was. She opened her mouth to say something, but then a single bolt of light came out of the sky, dividing in two and hitting both duelists.

"Joey!!" Yugi and Yami, merged, cried together. He started to get up onto the dueling platform to help him, but Roland stopped him.

"Wait. These two have two minutes to get up. Whoever does not will be disqualified. You cannot enter the dueling field until the duel is over, or you will be disqualified from the Battle City tournament as well!" he said officially.

Yami growled but didn't get up there, instead silently urging Joey to get up.

Daricio did the same, but also decided to let Yami and Yugi know that she had made it back safely. She tapped Yami on the arm, and he looked over at her.

'Daricio!' He said, using their mind link. He had noticed that she was in a form that only he and Yugi could see. 'You got back!'

She nodded. "Yeah, I did. What happened here?"

Yami looked back at Joey. 'Marik tried to summon his Egyptian God Card, but for some reason it didn't like it and it retaliated. That's why all the lightning... Now we can only hope that Joey can get up before Marik does!'

Daricio nodded. "Yeah. But, Yami, I know why the God Card didn't like him using it. That's not the real Ma-"

Suddenly, Joey stirred. "Wha...?"

"Joey, get up! Get up, Joey!" Yami yelled.

Joey blinked at him. "Why, Yug'?"

"If you don't get up, you'll be disqualified!" Tea told him.

Joey blinked again, and then struggled to his feet, looking over at the fake Marik, who was still unconscious.

He stood like that for a few more seconds, and then Roland called out, "Marik Ishtar is disqualified! Joey Wheeler wins by default."

Joey sighed and dropped back to his knees. Yami quickly got up onto the platform to help support him, followed by Tristan and Daricio.

When they were sure that Joey was ok, Yami went over to the fake Marik, trying to see if he was still alive or not.

Daricio came up behind him. "Yami, that's not-"

The fake Marik coughed. "Pharaoh... Yami.... Beware... Master Marik has a dark side.... If that dark side is let loose..."

Yami's eyes opened wide. "So you're NOT Marik?!"

"That's what I was trying to tell you." Daricio said softly.

"Marik has a dark side? What does that mean?" Yugi asked.

"Where is the real Marik, then? And who are you?" Yami asked the decoy reassuringly.

"My name is Rishid..." he said. His eyes were going blurry again. "I'm sorry Master..." he whispered.

He lifted himself up enough to be able to point, but collapsed back into unconsciousness from the strain.

"Rishid!" Yami said, looking worried.

"He's the real Marik." Daricio said with a frown, pointing towards him. "He's been deceiving you all during these finals."

Yami looked over. Marik was doubled over in pain, holding onto his head with both hands as if his life depended on it.

"Look! Something's wrong with Namu!" Tea called to them.

Almost silently, he was muttering something over and over again. Yami stood and started to make his way over to Marik, when suddenly his hands wrenched themselves away from his head and he let out a scream of pain.

Something seemed to actually stretch away from his sky-turned head, and then his hands returned to it, holding it tightly.

Everybody had frozen at the strange sight.

Slowly, his trembling hands pulled down to his sides and he looked up at them, chuckling evilly under his breath.

Daricio's eyes opened wider. This wasn't the same Malik that it had been a moment before.

"This is Marik's dark side..." Yami gasped. Yugi shuddered.

"This must be the evil that we were told would take over the world if left unchecked." Yugi whispered. "I... I can feel evil radiating from this soul..."

Yami agreed, as did Daricio. This was going to be bad...

(----Divider----)

{Joey}

"And everybody wanted to help me up. It was so inspiring, I guess, that I woke up." Joey said, telling the people in his room what his dream had been.

Tea grinned.

Mai smiled. "And was I in your dream, Joey?"

Joey turned slightly red. Yeah, Mai had been in his dream. And he'd tell her that, too, but.... Well, Tea and Tristan and Duke were all there... and he really didn't want to let everybody in the whole world know that he liked her.

"N-no, I don't really remember, but I don't think that you were there Mai." He said, his rather obvious lie making him turn a little redder.

Mai blinked at him and her smile faltered. "Oh, I see..."

"Would all duelists please report to the main room so that the next duelists can be chosen?" Roland's voice came on over the loudspeaker.

Joey hurried from the tense situation out into the hall, letting out a small breath of relief. Mai pushed past him and hurried down the hall, her eyes on the floor.

Tea came up beside him and glared at him. "What was that for? She's your friend isn't she? You could have let her know that."

Joey shrugged. "She knows already that she's my friend. Besides, I really honestly didn't remember. There were quite a few people there..."

Tea gave him a sideways glance, telling Joey that she definitely didn't believe him, and then she also hurried off down the hall.

Joey sighed. "Great, now they're both mad at me."

He shook his head and continued down the hall to hear who was going to be dueling next. At least it wouldn't be him versus the real Marik. He was even creepier than the other one...

And to think he had been tricked into thinking that Namu was a friend...

(A/n: Ooooh, inspiration point! Maybe I can get some inspiration!

Malik: Yay...)

He came out into the hall, making sure to stay as far away from Marik as was humanly possible. Others were also keeping their distance from him.

"Wheeler, get off of me."

Joey jumped, scooting away from Kaiba. "Sorry, didn't see you there."

Kaiba rolled his eyes. "Of course you didn't. You were too busy cowering from spike hair over there."

Joey was about to protest at this, but Roland began the choosing of the next two duelists.

Mai and Marik...

Joey gave Mai a worried look. She ignored it, instead walking to the elevator. "Oh, Yugi? I don't need you or any of your cheerleaders up there rooting for me, ok? I don't have any friends, and I can do this on my own."

Yugi blinked. "But Mai..."

Mai walked off without another word.

Joey was flabbergasted. He hadn't realized that his comment had hit her that hard.... He looked at the floor. No wonder Tea had gotten mad at him. She had always been more in tune with the way people felt than he was...

He frowned, looking up at the elevator again. Then, against her wishes, he followed up to root for her. She did too have friends, and he was going to prove it.

"Come on, Yug'. She's going against the worst creep in the world; somebody's gotta let her know that she's not alone." He said, getting in the elevator. Yugi nodded and followed, as did Tea, Tristan, Duke, Kaiba, and Mokuba.

When they reached the top and stepped off, Mai was already on the dueling platform with Marik. She glanced over at them and rolled her eyes.

"Fine, you want to watch you can, no rules against that, but I think you're wasting your time."

Yugi looked ready to say something, but Tea gave him a look that said that they'd better leave well enough alone. He sighed, and they all took places standing next to the platform to watch.

(A/n: I hate writing duels, so this is going to be very vague. Be glad there's something here at all... (Sweatdrop))

The duel started, and it started off badly. Marik quickly turned it into something called a Dark Duel.

Joey already didn't like the name, especially since he had fleeting memories of a dark duel with the Evil Bakura in which he and his friends had been trapped in Duel Monsters cards...

It got worse when Mai lost her first monster. Joey wasn't entirely sure what happened, but she suddenly cried out his name.

"Mai!" He called out. She looked over, worry etched all over her face. She looked shattered.

"She can't see you." Yami said softly. Joey whirled on him.

"What do you mean she can't see me? Why?"

"That's what this dark duel is doing. Every time she loses a monster, she loses the memory of another person. She no longer knows you. But keep cheering her on, Joey. She can still hear you."

Joey nodded firmly, his hatred of Marik growing deeper as the duel went on. Soon, Tea was gone to her as well. Joey looked on in anticipation. Mai was down on her knees, watching those who were watching her, silently struggling in the darkness.

Yami finally decided he'd had enough. He closed his eyes and the Millennium Puzzle glowed.

Once again, Joey wasn't sure what happened, but Mai was able to get up and keep going. That encouraged him.

He continued shouting to Mai, and when she glanced over at him, although she couldn't see where the support was coming from, she nodded.

The encouragement was so helpful, in fact, that she ended up being able to get Ra out of Marik's deck and into her own hand. Then, using a cool combo with her Harpies Ladies, she summoned it to the field.

"Yeah! That's the way to do it, Mai!" Joey yelled.

Marik just laughed, cutting Joey's calls short. Joey turned to him angrily. "What are you laughing at?"

Marik pointed upwards to where the monster had been summoned. "You need special words to activate Ra's abilities, my dear." He said, addressing Mai. "At the moment, it's totally useless to you, sitting there in a curled up ball of potential!"

Mai stared up at it in despair. "But..."

Marik laughed. "I do believe you can't do anything more this turn!"

Mai nodded absently. "End turn."

Joey growled. That Marik liked laughing at them way too much. Suddenly, he played a card that bound Mai's arms and legs to a back block carved with hieroglyphs.

"Hey! That's cheatin'!" Joey yelled. "How can she play any cards if she can barely reach her deck to draw?!"

Marik ignored him, smirking snidely at his captured foe. Then, he crossed his arms and began to chant, low under his breath.

Joey grit his teeth. Yami "hrrrr"ed beside him. Mai looked defeated. The great ball that Mai had summoned just the turn before began to glow and come apart. Ra was forming, and it was transferring itself to Marik's side of the field.

"That's it, that's enough." Joey muttered. He ran forward, climbing up onto the dueling field.

"Joey! You'll be disqualified!" Yami said, looking shocked.

Joey turned back, glaring at his friend. "I don't care, Yug'. I hafta help Mai, no matter what it takes." He turned around again and ran over to Mai.

"Mai, look up. Mai, look at me. Mai!" he said, holding her head up. She blinked, obviously seeing nothing.

Tears came to Joey's eyes. "Come on, Mai, you've got to remember me! It's me, Joey!"

Mai stirred. "Joey?"

"Yes! Joey!"

".....Who's Joey?"

The tears in Joey's eyes spilled over. "Mai! Come on, you've GOT to remember!" His mind raced, he looked over her face. True to what she said, there was no hint of recognition.

Slowly, he leaned forward. "Mai... You've got to remember me.... please..." he pleaded. "I... I'll make you remember!"

He kissed her.

Mai's eyes suddenly widened, and Joey pulled away. Her eyes began to focus, and she whispered. "Joey? Joey Wheeler?"

Joey's worried look faded, looking relieved. "You remember!"

She smiled slowly. "I oughta smack you, Joey." She said. "But... I don't want to..."

He grinned momentarily, but glanced away when he heard Marik's laughs.

"What do you want?" he asked angrily.

"It's just so touching seeing the two of you like that... But touching or not, it's still time for me to attack. She has to be hit. You do not. You can run. Please move."

Joey stood his ground, glaring at Marik. Mai glared with him.

Marik laughed again. "Fine with me. Winged Dragon of Ra, attack!"

"No!" Yami shouted, also climbing up onto the dueling platform.

(A/n: (wonders why the two of them weren't disqualified))

Mai and Joey had been bracing themselves for the attack, Joey leaning protectively over Mai, but they both looked up when they realized that Yami was taking the hit for the both of them.

"Yugi!" they both said in surprise as they watched him.

Marik frowned. "Stupid Pharaoh. You're always getting in the way."

"You won't hurt my friends!" Yami said, gritting his teeth against the pain of the blast he was absorbing.

The attack slowed, then came to a stop. Yami collapsed onto the floor. The holographics disappeared, dropping Mai to her knees. Joey tried to shake Yami awake. "Yug'! Come on, Yug'!"

Slowly, he began to stir, and he looked up at Joey. "Are you ok?"

Joey nodded, then helped Yami into a sitting position. Then he turned back to Mai to help her up as well.

He growled as he realized that Marik had gotten over to her first. "Hey, keep away from her! Haven't you done enough damage?" he got up and started to get between him and Mai.

Marik laughed again, then held up the Millennium Rod. Suddenly, Joey couldn't move! He was frozen!

He watched helplessly as Marik turned back to Mai. The Millennium Rod flashed, and Mai suddenly went alternate colors for a moment. Her eyes opened wide, and she slumped over.

Marik walked off a ways, and Joey was unfrozen. He dashed to Mai. "Mai! Mai!" he glared at Marik. "What did you do to her, you freak of nature?"

"Oh, not too much. Her mind is trapped in the Shadow Realm." Marik said, laughing once again.

Joey had to keep himself from walking over there and strangling the creep. He turned back to Mai. "Mai! Mai!" he shouted. "MAAAIII!!!!"

(----Divider----)

Daricio: (with a cookie in her mouth) I think 17 pages are enough for one chapter...

Malik: Perhaps...

Radley: (looking it over) um... some of those quotes are wrong...

Daricio: I don't care. I did that on purpose.

Malik: Yeah, right. More like you haven't watched the eppie in so long that you've forgotten it.

Kura: You've got two whole duels in this chapter...

Daricio: (sweatdrop) yeah, this part isn't so interesting, so I was trying to get it over with...

Kura: Oh... Does that mean that the next part IS interesting?

Daricio: I... I think so.... I mean, a really really weird thing happens in the next one...

Radley: Yet another thing having to do with me, too. -.-

Malik: (reading the notebook) Well, no, more with Kura than with you...

Radley: Speaking of which, I wasn't in this chapter at all...

Daricio: Duh, you're unconscious...

Radley: -.-U

Daricio: well, nothing else much to say, so I'll just end the chapter now...

Malik: -.- Goooooood idea....How intelligent of you.

Daricio: (sweatdrop) (to readers) he's the Sarcastic muse..... ..... And so is Radley.

Both: -.-

Daricio: (sweatdrop) but anyways, thanks for reading! Please review!


	36. Really long duel and weird stuff

Daricio: Ok, everybody! It's time for another chapter of Where's Yugi!

Radley: Yay, I'm so excited.

Malik: I'd rather if this was another chapter of Millennium Magic...

Daricio: Oh well, I decided I'd better start the next chapter of this before somebody hurts me...

Malik: If you don't start the next chapter of Millennium Magic soon,_ I_ may hurt you. I want to see that battle scene!

Daricio: (sweatdrop) I'll start it later, ok?

Malik: -.-

Kura: So what happens in this chapter?

Daricio: A lot of stuff... (to reviewers) I may end up with a few events a little bit mixed up... Things get a little weird from here on out. For example, DMCat15 guessed that the weird thing that happens in this chapter was going to be the virtual world... Actually, no, sorry. (sweatdrop) I'm completely skipping the virtual world in this story. I may come back to it in a later sequel, but it's going to be as if it never existed for now.

Radley: Any other stupid notes?

Daricio: (amused sweatdrop) Nope, not really. Except to say "Thanks" to Tamara Raymond for her critique. I would just like to say that, yeah yeah, I know. (sweatdrop) Last chapter sucked. I figured that it was going to... Mostly because the duels in there really had no point where Daricio being there could really make any difference... Same with the first duel in this chapter... This is why most of it isn't shown... (sweatdrops again) but thanks a lot for your input, I appreciate it!

Later, if you'd like to tell me what some of the plot twists you had thought were going to happen, I may or may not actually be able to work some of them in. (happy look) I've been trying to improve that chapter without much luck...

Daricio: (sweatdrop) But anyways, another quick note before we begin... B/k, just a reminder so that I don't get yelled at later, I'm not calling Bakura "Ryou" in this story, that's just what Radley and the random nurse call him in it...

Radley: I still don't get why you don't like calling him Ryou in the first place... I mean, that is his name, isn't it?

Daricio: Never mind that, Radley. But anyways... (sweatdrop) Now on to the story!

(----Divider----)

-Daricio-

Yugi and Yami were both watching Kaiba's duel against Isis, along with the rest of their friends. Daricio, however, was taking a break from the dueling.

Quietly, she stepped into her kitchen, looking for a snack. Because of her sudden "naptime" that she had taken, she had missed dinner.

A snack wasn't necessary, though, as her mom had put some plastic wrap around a plate of food that they had left for her.

She stuck it in the microwave to warm up, then slowly looked around the room, simply reveling in the peacefulness. It was a huge contrast to what was going on in her mind and in the Yu-Gi-Oh world...

Everything there was chaos... She hoped everything would calm down soon, though.

"Hey Daricio." DVD's voice came through the darkness, startling Daricio slightly.

She blinked towards him until her eyes had adjusted to the dark enough to see him. "Hi. Why are you still up?"

"Wanted to ask you what was going on in your world... I checked your soul room earlier, you weren't in there." He answered.

"Oh. It was nothing much... Just some of the semi-final dueling stuff..." Daricio said with a small smile. "That and Yami Bakura kidnapping me..."

DVD came closer to her with a confused yet concerned look on his face. "Are you serious?"

She nodded, then they both sat down at the table. As she ate her dinner, she began telling him all that had gone on, and about the duel that was currently happening.

"Personally, I hope that Isis manages to beat Kaiba..." Daricio admitted after a while. "It'd show him..."

DVD shrugged. "I dunno, something tells me that Kaiba needs to win... I mean, how else is Yugi going to get Obelisk, unless she gives it to him, like she did to Kaiba in the first place?"

"Yugi can beat her, too... And besides, didn't she predict that he would give her back the card?" Daricio argued.

"I've never believed in prophecies, myself..." DVD said, grinning. "People keep proving them wrong."

Daricio laughed. "True, but this is real magic we're dealing with."

"Yeah, but it's also the future. It's always been rather unpredictable, and even this could prove to be wrong."

Daricio looked up at her brother with a calculating look on her face and she sighed. "I suppose you're right..." then she laughed. "My own brother is getting smarter than me..."

DVD laughed too.

The two of them talked for a little bit more, before DVD decided to go to bed. Daricio stayed to finish her dinner, and also to enjoy the silence a little longer.

Finally, she headed back upstairs. Lying down on her bed, she closed her eyes with a small sigh.

Within seconds, her rather messy soul room came into her mind's eye, and she frowned at the mess. Not even bothering to attempt to clean anything up, she headed straight for Yugi's room.

Yugi's room was almost as cluttered as her own, and she had to pick her way across the room to a chair before she could sit down; otherwise she ran the risk of stepping on a particularly sharp toy.

"Hey, Yug'. Who's winning?" she asked tiredly, taking a temporary physical form next to her friend.

'_Actually, the duel's rather close at this point... There was a point where Isis could have attacked him directly and taken out the rest of his life points just last turn, but for some reason she didn't attack. Now, he's got Obelisk out, and she's wide open... But Isis looks like she has something planned for him..._' Yugi summarized through their thought link.

Yami nodded, having also taken a physical form beside Yugi. '_They've both fought hard..._'

Daricio looked up at the dueling, blinking at Obelisk's huge form on the field. "How'd he get Obelisk out in just one turn? Soul exchange?"

Yugi nodded. Near the elevator, Yami Marik was preparing to leave.

"Obelisk the Tormentor! Att-..." Kaiba started to command. Suddenly, though, there was a bright light shining across the whole field, coming from the Millennium Rod!

Daricio's first instinct was to close her eyes, but for some reason she didn't, instead staring into the whiteness of the light.

When the light faded, she was no longer standing on the Dueling Blimp, but instead she was in a long stone corridor. There were large tapestries on the walls, and a few Egyptian looking statues on pedestals.

She could hear laughing coming from further down the hall, and she went to go investigate.

'_What am I doing here? Where is here?_' she wondered to herself.

Peeking into a room that had no door, she smiled as she saw five children playing together. All of them were dressed rather fancily, as if they were all the children of high officials.

Especially a certain one, looking to be about 4 years old, with spiky red, black, and gold hair and purple eyes.

Daricio blinked as she recognized the chibi Yami... Looking around at the other children, she was startled to realize that she knew the other four Egyptian kids as well!

There was an Egyptian version of Tea, one of Joey, one of Kaiba, and one of... herself!!

Suddenly, everything went hyper speed. She saw these five growing up together, being the best of friends, images flashed before Daricio's eyes, until suddenly...

She blinked and looked around her. "Wha?!" she exclaimed.

Yami looked over at her with worry. "Are you alright, Daricio? You spaced out there for a moment. And so did Kaiba..."

Daricio blinked again, realizing that whatever that vision from the Millennium Rod was, it was over and she was back on the blimp.

"I... I'm fine, I think... The flash from the Millennium Rod..." she murmured. Yami nodded.

"Yes, it appears to have triggered some ancient memories for Kaiba. Take a look."

Daricio did. Kaiba was staring ahead of him with a look of disbelief on his face. Slowly, he looked down at his hand, then he turned to look at Obelisk behind him.

Suddenly, his confusion ceased and his calm collected expression returned. "I play this magic card, Silent Doom, to special summon Gadget Soldier in defense mode. Then I sacrifice it and Obelisk for the Blue Eyes White Dragon!"

Now Isis' expression held even more shock than Kaiba's had. "But... This is not the same!"

"I told you, I choose my OWN destiny!" Kaiba yelled in her direction. "And Blue Eyes still has enough attack points to take you down! Blue Eyes White Dragon, white lightning attack!!"

The dragon attacked, scattering the blue lightning across the top of the blimp. The duel was over.

"I don't get it!!" Yami Marik yelled, still standing by the elevator. He was glaring at the Millennium Rod. "Why would it show Kaiba a vision, and not me?! Am I it's master, or aren't I?"

Everyone pretty much ignored his ranting, instead looking up to see what Isis' reaction to losing a duel that she had thought she was destined to win would be.

The look of shock remained on her face for several long seconds as the holographics began to fade away. Then, slowly, she began to smile.

"Thank you, Kaiba, for showing me that the prophecies can be wrong." She said, bowing her head. "This brings me great comfort. Now I know that you will help me save my brother..."

Kaiba simply shrugged and headed for the elevator with Mokuba. "Believe whatever you want to, I'm in this for me."

Everybody else took his lead and also filed into the elevator. (Still staying as far away from Yami Marik as possible, of course)

When they all got out, they began to head towards their respective rooms.

"Pharaoh, wait." Yami turned at Isis' voice. "I need to speak with you."

He nodded, and everybody went to her room. There, she told them the tale of Marik's past...

(A/n: No, I'm not telling it right here. You wanna read it, you go read Runaway. Tis my one-shot.)

When she was done with her tale, she gave Yugi the Millennium Necklace...

"It was yours originally, Pharaoh, and you'll need all the items to fulfill your destiny." She explained. Yugi nodded, thanking her.

Once Yugi was back in his room, Daricio told him and Yami what vision she had seen when the Millennium Rod activated.

Yami nodded, deep in thought. "That makes sense... Even as the son of the pharaoh, I would have had friends that I grew up with... And with what Isis said, that the things of the present are linking to the past, it makes sense that those friends would be people that I know now..."

Daricio nodded as well, looking out the window of the blimp.

"Do you think that Kaiba had the same vision, or a different one?" Yugi wondered out loud.

"Probably a different one. Why else would he summon the Blue Eyes White Dragon?" Yami answered.

"True..." Yugi smiled after a moment. "Hey, I wonder what Kaiba's reaction would be if he knew that you two grew up as friends in ancient Egypt..."

Yami shrugged. "Probably wouldn't believe me. As usual."

Daricio laughed and nodded. "Probably."

There was silence for a while as the three of them thought...

After a while, Daricio spoke up again.

"So... Only four more finalists, huh? You, Joey, Kaiba, and Yami Marik..." she noted.

Yami nodded, still looking out the window. "But that's tomorrow. For now, we should get some sleep..."

Yugi nodded tiredly and Daricio smiled. "Right. If any of us can sleep after all this..."

Yugi laughed. "Well, good night, Daricio..."

"Night, Yugi. Night, Yami." Daricio said, disappearing into Yugi's soul room so that she could head back to her own.

Yami nodded towards her and disappeared into the puzzle.

Yugi sighed and lay down on his bed, closing his eyes and trying his best to sleep.

(----Divider----)

-Bakura-

By the time Bakura got back to his body after taking Daricio to Yugi's soul room, Radley was awake and wondering where he was.

"What were you doing?" he demanded when he saw him come in.

Bakura didn't answer him, instead passing by him to go sit down on the bed in his soul room.

"Why you... Look at me when I speak to you, and answer my question!"

"Why should I? You betrayed me." he shot back at him, mostly just to avoid his question.

"Because I still hold more power than you do, you brat." He answered icily. Then he sighed and sat down next to him on the bed, looking like he was actually trying to control his temper.

Bakura looked at him in surprise.

"Look, Ryou. I just want to know." He said, obviously holding back his frustrations. "What were you doing?"

Bakura blinked at him, then looked down. "I was taking Daricio back to where she belongs."

Radley nodded slowly. "Okay.. That sounds like typical you. Another question: Where's the Millennium Ring?"

He blinked again, mentally checking his body and realizing that he wasn't wearing it. "... I don't know... When that duel was over, I wasn't even thinking about that... I was mostly just thinking about trying to get the two of you to wake up..."

Radley raised an eyebrow at his hikari. "Gee, I didn't know you cared." He said sarcastically.

"Well..." Bakura looked back up at him. "We are supposed to be working together, remember?"

The eyebrow went up further. "You are way too trusting of me." He commented.

He smiled. "That's what I'm here for..."

(A/n: Yeah, yeah, they're being nice to each other again... problem with that?)

Radley was about to say something more to him, but then he stopped, sitting up straight and concentrating on something.

"What is it?" Bakura asked softly.

He didn't answer, instead taking control of the body and sitting up. As Bakura looked through his eyes, seeing as he actually didn't just block him out this time, he could see Tea standing near him with the Ring.

As she spoke to Radley, though, it was obvious that this was really Marik, and not Tea.

Bakura listened in silence. Apparently, Marik had a darker half, a yami, as well... and now he wanted Radley's help to defeat him, as he was too weak at the moment...

With the promise of the Millennium Rod once again, Radley agreed to help.

As they were walking down the deserted halls of the blimp, Radley suddenly remembered about Bakura. '_Oh, uh... This is ok, right aibou?_' he said offhandedly.

Bakura mentally shrugged. '_Yeah, now that he's actually trying to do some good..._'

Radley rolled his eyes, but didn't say anything more. When they reached Rishid's room, Marik stopped them and told them to go in.

Radley opened the door, arriving just in time to stop Yami Marik from killing him. "I'm afraid that I'll have to step in now."

Yami Marik turned, annoyed at the interruption. "Hmm? Ah, the spirit of the Millennium Ring..."

"Yes, but it's not just me. I've brought an old friend to see you. He's not too pleased with you." Radley said, folding his arms. Marik took a temporary physical form so that his yami could see him.

"You are NOT going to hurt Rishid, you monster." Marik almost spat, clearly very mad. "You'll have to deal with us first."

(A/n: I want my body back! XD)

Yami Marik just laughed, raising the Millennium Rod. "Fine, then. I will!"

Radley suddenly found himself pinned to the wall, unable to move. He blinked, then activated the Ring's powers for a counter attack. As Yami Marik turned to finish off Rishid, he found himself equally unable to move.

"I'm afraid you're sadly mistaken." Radley hissed. Yami Marik struggled to move, and finally the two of them released each other at the same time.

Yami Marik laughed. "So we can't use our powers to push each other around, then. We'll settle this over a duel!"

Radley smirked. "I can't wait."

Without further words, they exited the room and headed for the top of the blimp. Once they were there, the duel began.

'_This will work out just fine. I know his deck inside and out._' Marik reassured the other two.

'_It had better._' Radley returned, drawing his cards.

"I must warn you two... The loser of this duel pays the ultimate price!" Yami Marik called.

Radley just laughed.

Yami Marik frowned. "You won't be laughing for long, rest assured."

'_Let me talk to him..._' Marik asked.

Radley mentally rolled his eyes. '_Go ahead..._'

Marik took control. "Yami, it's me." He started. He then began telling his yami how he had overheard his sister telling everybody about his past, and how he had learned that it was really Yami Marik that had killed his father.

Bakura listened with curiosity. Radley just seemed bored. '_Mushy stuff..._'

Yami Marik laughed again. "Marik, you forget. You are not completely blameless for everything that has happened. I was born from your hatred, and therefore, you are guiltier than I am."

Marik looked down. "I know. But I can change that. From now on, I'll make up for everything bad that I've done." He looked up again. "And the first way to do that is to defeat you!"

Now Radley was really bored. He took control again. "Enough chatter, it's time to duel!"

'_If we win this, you have to promise to tell me some things. You've been keeping something from me, and I want to know what it is._' Radley said to Marik.

Marik nodded. '_Yes, I'll tell you._'

'_Good._'

The duel commenced. The shadows billowed around the dueling field as Radley looked at his beginning hand. He smirked.

"Already, my deck is showing you no mercy. I play one card face down and summon Goblin Zombie in attack mode!" Radley said to Yami Marik.

"Hmm. I'll also play a card face down, then I'll play Drillago. Drillago, attack his zombie!"

"Activate trap card. Fearful Earthbound."

"What?!"

"This trap card takes 500 life points from you each time you attack." Radley said, smirking. Goblin Zombie was destroyed from the attack, and Radley lost 500 life points, but Yami Marik also took the same amount of life point damage.

As the life point counter went down, suddenly a part of Radley's arm disappeared! Radley stared at it in slight confusion. "What are you doing to me?" he demanded.

Yami Marik laughed. "It's part of our dark game! The more life points you lose, the more of your body is consumed by the shadows! This is a death game!"

Radley rolled his eyes. "Yeah, yeah, whatever. I know how the shadow realm works. Besides, it's you who will be going there. Is it my move yet?"

Yami Marik frowned at Radley's calmness. "Go. But beware; none of your moves will surprise me. I've already seen your deck in action."

"Hmm." Radley drew.

Bakura mentally frowned. '_He's right, he has seen most of our strategies, Radley... We can't play Destiny Board; he's bound to have a way to get rid of it._'

Radley nodded slowly. '_Yes, but for now he doesn't have enough monsters to sacrifice for Ra, so we still have time._'

'_Ra won't be a threat to this duel, even if he does summon him. He may know many of your cards, but I know all of mine._' Marik pointed out.

'_Quiet, I know what I'm doing, and I don't need your help._'

'_Oh yes you do. I know all of Ra's secrets, and I've got a plan that can put him into our control._'

"Quit stalling over there!" Yami Marik called out, clearly amused.

Radley glared at him, but didn't say anything. Instead, he placed two cards face down. "Two face down, and Gernia in defense. Your move."

Yami Marik laughed. "Hiding now, are we?" he drew. Looking over his hand for a second, he pulled out a card and played it. "Card of Sanctity, which allows us both to draw until we hold 6 cards in our hands."

The two of them drew, and Yami Marik's look of annoyance grew.

'_He hasn't drawn Ra yet..._' Bakura realized. Radley nodded.

"Trying to get Ra, are we? I'll do you a favor." Radley activated one of his face downs. "Multiple Destruction! We each discard all the cards in our hands and draw the same number we had before. In exchange, for each card I discard, I lose 100 life points."

Now Yami Marik just looked confused. "Are you trying to destroy yourself?!" he wondered as another part of Radley's arm disappeared.

"Did you draw your card?" Radley asked, ignoring the question.

Yami Marik snorted. "No." he placed a card face down. "Your move."

Radley smirked as he drew. "I'll sacrifice Gernia for the Puppet Master. He may have 0 attack points, but for 1000 life points, I can summon 3 monsters from my graveyard to the field."

The three monsters appeared on the field, and a part of Radley's torso disappeared.

'_Be careful with those life points, you've only got 1900 left._' Bakura warned. Radley mentally rolled his eyes.

"You can't attack with those monsters yet." Yami Marik pointed out smugly.

"I wasn't planning to." Radley returned. "Activate face down trap card: Dark Designator! Move your Winged Dragon of Ra to your hand."

Yami Marik frowned. Silently, he moved the Winged Dragon of Ra from his deck into his hand. "I'm on to your plan, and it won't work."

"We'll just see about that. Activate Exchange!" Radley said, grinning.

The two duelists moved next to each other so that they could take from each other's hands. Radley, of course, chose Ra. Yami Marik chose to take Radley's Monster Reborn.

(A/n: Ever notice how everybody has the card Exchange?! T.T I want that card...)

'_Darn, he took a good card..._' Bakura commented. Radley ignored him, doing his best to concentrate on the duel. He was doing well so far, but that could always change fast...

"Hmm. Don't get too cocky. Even with my Egyptian God card in your hand, there's no way you can even use it." Yami Marik taunted.

"Yes he can, he's got me on his side, remember?" Marik spoke up, glaring at his other half.

Yami Marik wasn't fazed. "Oh, so the poor weak spirit can't duel without his little friend, then? How pathetic."

Radley glared silently.

'_Just ignore him, he's an idiot._' Bakura said, trying to calm him down.

Marik nodded. '_Only one more turn, and we'll have him beat._'

Radley grit his teeth and nodded as well. "Go, Baka."

"With pleasure." Yami Marik returned, drawing his card. He smirked as he looked everything over.

"How does it feel to know that your best card is in your opponent's hand?" Radley taunted.

Yami Marik ignored him. "I play the magic card Vengeful Bog Spirit. Now, monsters cannot attack in the same turn they were summoned!"

"You're only delaying your destruction." Radley said, drawing a card for his turn.

'_We have to summon Ra!_' Marik said, stating the obvious.

'_Duh._' Radley mentally rolled his eyes. "I sacrifice my three monsters for the Winged Dragon of Ra!"

"Activate trap card, Joyful Doom! This strips your three tribute monsters of attack points!" Yami Marik said, smirking. "And adding them to my life points!"

As the monsters disappeared and Ra's huge form began to materialize, Radley stared, shocked, at its attack points. "What?! Zero?!"

'_One of Ra's abilities is that it takes on the attack points of the monsters that were sacrificed for it..._' Marik explained somewhat dully, also staring at the huge powerless god.

Radley rounded on him. '_Why didn't you warn me that something like this could happen? You're supposed to know his deck!_'

'_I... I didn't know he had that card... He must have switched the cards around in his deck..._' Marik admitted.

Radley growled. "Fine, I switch Ra and Puppet Master to defense mode."

(A/n: Waaait, how could he do that? He's switching Ra to defense mode in the same turn that it was summoned in attack mode... (shrug) oh well...)

Yami Marik laughed. "And now I've got you on the run!"

(----Divider----)

-Random Nurse named..... Oh, I dunno..... Joy. XP-

Checking the charts, the girl walked into the patient's room to make sure everything was still going all right. She saw many patients every day, but for some reason, even though he was unconscious, this John Doe was her favorite.

Recently, his name had been discovered, but the place where he came from was still unknown. She watched him silently, wondering what his untold secrets were...

Ryou Bakura...

She sighed as she remembered what the doctors had said on the day he had come in, so long ago. They didn't expect him to live very long after they took him off life support, and they had made the comment that even if he didn't, the poor guy really had nobody who cared...

She had decided then that she would care.

But that day, they had taken him off of the support... His body functioned normally on its own. Almost as if... it was just in standby mode, waiting for him to come home...

She sighed again and laid her hand on his arm. His skin was cool to the touch. Not unhealthy, but not normal, either.

She frowned at him. "What's up, Ryou?" she asked him, even though she knew he couldn't hear. She didn't know why, but whenever she came in here, she liked to talk to him...

He, of course, didn't answer her, but she went on anyway. "Yeah, I know... Sometimes, I- Oh!"

She stopped talking and pulled her hand back suddenly in shock as she felt his arm move slightly. "Wha... Ryou, are you... waking up...?"

Ryou's form didn't move as she watched with wide eyes. Finally she settled down, mentally chiding herself for being too jumpy. Of course he didn't move... he's comatose, and has been for years... why would he wake up now?

(----Divider----)

-Back to Bakura-

"I attack your Puppet Master with Drillago! This duel is finished!" Yami Marik exclaimed.

"We've only just begun!" Radley shot back. "I have the card to turn this duel around! Ra may be powerless, but I can still sacrifice it. I'll do so now to summon Dark Ruler Hades!"

The huge god vanished from behind the tomb robber and the Dark Ruler appeared in front.

Yami Marik chuckled. "You'll regret sending Ra to the graveyard."

"Ra is too weak for me. Even if you do manage to summon him, he'll still have zero attack points." Radley said, purposely sounding smug. "But speaking of the graveyard..."

He placed his card on the field and the duel disk automatically spit out the three cards he wanted out of his graveyard slot. "I remove these three monsters from play..." he said, tossing them down to the ground for now. "To summon Dark Necrofear!"

Yami Marik wasn't impressed. Radley didn't really expect him to be, and he continued.

"Now I play Premature Burial. I pay 800 life points to get a monster back from the graveyard. I choose the Earl of Demise." He said, placing the card from the graveyard onto the field. A part of his leg was consumed by the shadows.

'_With three monsters on the field, he'll be more reluctant to attack me._' Radley explained, though he was talking to himself more than anyone else.

'_Just be more careful with our life points! You keep wasting them like that, and you're going to-_' Marik started.

'_Hey, I'm the one dueling here! Do not give me orders!_' Radley snapped at him. '_I know what I'm doing here, unlike you. If I hadn't listened to you, I'd still be winning right now!_'

'_If you hadn't listened to me, you'd be dead right now, so shut up!_'

Yami Marik looked amused. He couldn't hear their conversation, obviously, but it was rather obvious that the two were fighting. "Quit wasting time and finish the duel! With Vengeful Bog Spirit still in play, none of your monsters can attack me this turn."

"I know!" Radley almost snarled at him with annoyance. "Make your move!"

Yami Marik laughed. "Fine then, I will. And believe me, you won't have another turn after this! I'll take you down with the very god you so quickly threw away!"

Radley scoffed. "You're bluffing."

"I'm not. Ra has many special abilities that neither of you two are aware of!" Yami Malik chuckled.

'_That's impossible. I know all of Ra's abilities!_' Marik protested.

'_Apparently, you don't._' Radley stated dryly, watching his opponent.

"I play the magic card Monster Reborn! Winged Dragon of Ra, come forth!" Yami Marik announced dramatically.

Radley's eyes opened wide and he tried his best to hold back several swear words.

'_Calm down, he can't use it. It still had zero attack points Besides, Vengeful Bog Spirit is still in play, and magic cards only work on gods for one turn._' Marik said, rolling his eyes.

'_You idiot! Would he have wasted a Monster Reborn if he didn't know what he was doing?!_' Radley said, not calming down at all. '_You didn't tell me this could happen!!_'

Yami Marik smirked. "I activate two of Ra's special abilities. Point to point transfer, and Instant Attack!" With this, he crossed his arms and began the chant.

'_... That's not the same chant that I use, he's doing something else!_' Marik realized.

As Ra appeared, Yami Marik finished his chant, keeping his arms crossed. A smirk began to appear on his face as the shadows suddenly swirled around him.

Slowly, starting from his feet, Yami Marik began to disappear...

'_He's sacrificing life points to feed Ra!!_' Bakura suddenly realized. Radley nodded gravely.

"You very foolishly left your monsters in attack mode." Yami Marik noted, even though his mouth had already disappeared. Bakura, Radley, and Marik all looked up at Ra, realizing that the voice had come from up there.

Sure enough, there was Yami Marik, merged with the Jewel on Ra's forehead. He smirked.

"I have left myself a single life point so that I do not lose the duel, but a single attack from Ra to any of your monsters will wipe out the rest of your life points." Yami Marik said nastily.

Radley was in a sort of shock. "This... can't be happening!"

Yami Marik laughed again. "Oh, but it can. Winged Dragon of Ra, attack him now!"

Ra opened its mouth, and the huge beam of flames shot towards them. As one, they all screamed as pain shot through them with the flames. With the attack, Radley's mental link with Marik was ripped apart, Marik himself being thrown off into the darkness.

'_Ok, ow... that hurt.._' Bakura said, rubbing his head.

Radley didn't say anything back, focusing mainly on staying standing.

"Prepare to enter the darkness!!" Yami Marik cackled.

Radley glared up at him, standing up straight as more and more of him slowly vanished. "You fool... I am the darkness, and the darkness never dies..." Radley took a breath and continued, even as the very last of him disappeared. "You haven't seen the last of me..."

The moment the last of Bakura's body was gone, the two suddenly found themselves floating in darkness, the Millennium Ring having been left with Yami Marik by the shadows themselves.

Radley began to idly rage at them. "Stupid souls! Following that idiot, when you used to only follow me! And you call yourselves loyal! I aughta come and beat some manners into you." He began rolling up his sleeves.

Bakura giggled. "I don't think they have a choice, Radley, they're just shadows..."

Radley turned his glare on the boy, though most of the harshness was dropped. "Oh, I know, but I have to yell at something around here..." He sighed. "Well, I suppose we should head to the puzzle..... Bakura, where are you going?"

Bakura blinked. He didn't think he was going anywhere. "I'm not going any-" but then he noticed his movement as well. Something was pulling him slowly away from his yami!

Radley quickly grabbed ahold of his hikari's wrist to keep him from going too far, then turned to growl at the shadows. "You leave him alone, you hear? Only I'm allowed to do anything to him."

"Gee, that makes me feel better." Bakura said, smiling slightly. His smile faded as he felt his wrist sliding out of his yami's hand. "Radley, I'm slipping!"

Radley looked back at him, holding onto him with his other hand as well. "I noticed, Ryou... Whatever's pulling you isn't these puny shadows. I'm holding on as hard as I can here..."

Bakura held onto his yami with his free hand as well, not wanting to get pulled someplace where there was nothing to defend him from anything.

The pull strengthened, and soon, both hands or not, Bakura knew that whatever wanted him wanted him bad... Their grip on each others hands failed, and Bakura went flying backwards in the direction he had been pulled.

"Radley!!" He cried, startled at the sudden acceleration.

"Bakura!" Bakura could see Radley's now small form running after him in the shadows. "Get back here!"

His form disappeared over the horizon, and Bakura was alone in the Shadow Realm, being pulled toward an unknown destination. He sighed and closed his eyes tight, trying not to be scared...

In a place of shadows, this was not easy...

(----Divider----)

-The random nurse again-

When Joy glanced at her watch about a half hour later, she realized that it was time for her to go. Slowly, she rose, still watching the young boy.

"Good night, Ryou." She whispered as she gathered up her things. "It's been nice talking with you today."

When she had everything, she headed out the door. She was about to close the door when she suddenly heard a rustling sound behind her. Startled, she turned.

"Is somebody else in here?" She asked quietly. There was no answer. She sighed, going over to Ryou's bed, where she could see the whole room clearly to make sure that there wasn't somebody or something hiding in there.

As she stood at the foot of the bed, looking away from it, she concluded that there was nothing unusual in there. Suddenly, she heard the rustling sound again and realized that it was coming from the bed itself!

She turned slowly. "Ryou...?" she asked hesitantly.

The boy's eyes were still closed, but now his arms were up, holding his head as if it was in pain.

"Where am I?" he asked, his voice faint.

Joy's eyes lit up. He was awake! "You're in St. Peter's Hospital."

Ryou's eyes snapped open and he looked at her curiously. "A hospital? How did I get here? How long have I been here?"

"You've been here for about... Oh, 4 years now, I believe."

"4 years?!?" Ryou's eyes went wide. "What's today's date?!"

Joy looked at the calendar on the wall and told him. He seemed to relax a little. "Are you going to be ok?" she asked him.

He nodded slowly and swallowed, seeming to be thinking.

"I have to go tell some of the doctors that you're awake now, all right, Ryou? I'll be right back. Would you like the light on?"

"No, that's ok. Go ahead and leave it off..." Ryou said distractedly.

She frowned at him worriedly, and quickly left the room to share the exciting news. Ryou Bakura had finally woken up!

(----Divider----)

-Daricio-

Daricio was woken by the sound of the telephone ringing. By the time she threw the covers off, somebody else had gotten it. Quickly, she looked up at the time; it was 12:00 AM. Sighing, she lay back down on her bed.

For a few minutes, she tried to go back to sleep, but it was no use. She was up, even if it was midnight.

Quietly, she jumped down from the bunk bed, trying not to disturb her sister. Pulling on a bathrobe, she headed downstairs to see who had answered the phone.

It was dark downstairs, she realized when she got down there. Whoever had gotten the phone, probably her parents, had answered the one upstairs.

Since she was already downstairs, she sat down at the dining room table. Closing her eyes, she entered her soul room to see if Yugi was awake.

She crept through their link into his room, opening the door quietly and peeking in. She was startled to find that the room was empty, meaning that Yugi was currently in full control of his body.

She blinked and took a temporary physical form next to Yugi so that she could tell what he was doing.

They were standing on the top of the blimp on the dueling platform, and a thick heavy darkness around them was just fading away, revealing Yami Marik.

He walked past the two of them, Yami/Yugi and Daricio, chuckling to himself. "Trying to interfere with my games again, Pharaoh? You're too late." Without another word, he got into the elevator and closed the doors.

Yugi took a temporary physical form separate from Yami and Daricio turned to them, confused. "What's going on?"

"Tea woke up in the middle of the night and found herself in Bakura's room, but he himself was gone. She came and told me, and we went looking for him..." Yugi said, still gazing towards the elevator where Yami Marik had gone.

Yami looked down with concern in his eyes. "With Yami Marik up here and Bakura still missing, I think... We can assume that he's been sent to the Shadow Realm..." he said solemnly.

Daricio frowned. "Poor Bakura... Radley's probably the one who started the duel, and now Bakura has to be in the Shadow Realm too..."

Yugi nodded. "Yeah, I know what you mean..."

"Hey, where'd Tea go?" Daricio suddenly noticed. "Didn't she come up here with you?"

Yami looked around, realizing the same thing. "Yes, she did... Where would she have gone?"

"I dunno, maybe we should go look for her. I hope Yami Marik doesn't have anything to do with this... If it did, I-" Daricio paused mid-sentence, tilting her head as she faintly heard her name being called.

Yami and Yugi listened as well. "I hear it too." Yami said. "It's coming from your side, Daricio. You'd better go."

Daricio nodded and let her physical form fade away back into Yugi's soul room so that she could go back to her own.

Once there, she was fully aware of DVD shaking her slightly as he repeated her name to try and rouse her.

"I'm up, I'm up..." She mumbled, opening her eyes. "What is it?"

DVD's eyes were wide. "The hospital just called. Bakura woke up from his coma..."

"What??" Daricio was shocked. "But he's in the Yu-Gi-Oh world, how could he be here... as... well..." her voice faded as she realized something.

"What is it, Daricio?" DVD asked. "Tell me quick, cause we've got to get ready. Dad's going to drive us down there to see him, since we were the ones who identified him..."

Daricio nodded absently. "yeah, ok... But DVD, over in the Yu-Gi-Oh world right now, Bakura is _missing_ and Yami thinks that Yami Marik might have sent him to the Shadow Realm... What if instead of going to the Shadow Realm, he ended up getting sent back to his old body?"

DVD blinked. "Sounds pretty farfetched to me, but I suppose it's possible."

"We'll have to ask him about it when we get there, I guess... For now, let's get ready." Daricio suggested. DVD agreed, and they hurriedly got ready to go.

(----Divider----)

Daricio: .... To have more story, or not to have more story... That is the question... Eh, 20 pages is long enough for one chapter I think...

Malik: Maybe, possibly... (rolls eyes)

Daricio: (sweatdrop)

Radley: You know, I noticed that all of the weird things that happen to your characters.... usually end up happening to me and Kura...

Kura: (sweatdrop)

Daricio: (sweatdrop) 's not my fault that you're my favorite characters... Along with Malik...

Malik: (sweatdrop) Which would be the reason we're your muses...

Daricio: Right! See, so far I've written Malik stories, Bakura stories, Radley stories... sorta.... or at least Radley parts of stories...

Radley: Uh huh... We care why?

Daricio: ... I dunno... You just do...

Radley: (smacks forehead) That's not what I meant.

Daricio: I know. (happy grin) Anyway, please review! Ideas are welcome, even if the story's mostly planned out! Happy! XP


	37. Yet another boring chapter

Daricio: BIG note to self. Always preview before posting. Quickedit is stupid. Not really all that much to say before we begin, except for a BIG thank you to Tamera Raymond for ideas and for giving me the inspiration to start writing again.

Oh, and I'd also like to ask all you loverly people to go and review on my latest chapter of Millennium Magic, and also on my newest story, Hidden Appearances.

Malik: (accusingly) you left Millennium Magic at an evil cliffhanger! And you knocked me out!

Daricio: ... So?

Malik: (anime fall) You're evil.

Radley: Why don't you just tell him what you're planning to have happen?

Daricio: That would take all the fun out of it!

Malik: -.- Just write your stupid story.

Daricio: Okay! (cheesy grin)

Malik: You are too hyper for your own good.

Radley: Agreed.

Daricio: (sweatdrop) Hey, it's the weekend, what can I say? Besides, if you two would quit following me around trying to untie my shoes when I'm not looking...

Malik: -.- That's not US!

Daricio: Riiiiiiiiiight. Oh, brief note to the few people with the patience to actually be reading this... I've been having some issues lately concerning my Sanity, so Malik and Radley are going to be the only muses that are going to be hanging around for a while...

Also, thanks to B/k, Lisa, and everybody else who continue to support me through all of my madness, even when they have other problems to take care of besides babying me. You guys are the best.

Anywhos, I'll start the chapter now... I suppose...

* * *

+Yami+ 

Yami paced the room, deep in thought. Yugi was asleep; Yami didn't wake him with Daricio's news because he wanted him to get as much sleep as possible before the dueling tomorrow. _Somebody_ had to be awake then...

His footsteps didn't make any sound against the floor of the Airship's carpeted floor as he went back and forth and back and forth. Idly, he made his way over to the mirror off to the side of the room and stared unseeingly at his transparent reflection.

_Aren't you there _yet He thought to Daricio impatiently.

"_It's a half hour long car ride, Yami. Mom says we'll be there within the next ten minutes or so._" Daricio answered, sounding just as restless as he was.

Yami sighed. _I know._ He said resignedly. _I just wonder what Bakura has to tell us..._

Daricio mentally nodded, then went back to staring out the car window.

Yami's attention returned to his reflection. Bored, yet unable to sleep from the tension all around them, he unconsciously studied his features, as well as those of the darkened room around him.

Slowly, his mind began to shift to other subjects, trying to distract him from the time left before he could possibly get some answers.

As his thoughts fell upon the vision that the Millennium Rod had shown Daricio, he began to let all the details she had conveyed to him sift through the not many facts that he knew about his past life in Egypt.

The fact that she had seen Kaiba's past self there seemed to hit a right note; Isis had mentioned the same thing. The fact that he was playing _with_ them if he would eventually be _against_ him seemed a little odd but, on further consideration, could be deemed valid.

Past forms of Joey and Tea being friends with the Pharaoh's son sounded right as well; after all, the past was repeating itself, so it made sense that many of the same people were allies.

Daricio's past self's presence continued to befuddle him, though. After all, how could the two of them be in the same room playing together as children if they were in two completely separate worlds?

Unless... unless the two worlds were one at one time...? Yami's eyebrows furrowed as he contemplated this. What kind of event could have happened that would split a world into two? And why?

Yami sighed. Maybe he'd ask Isis in the morning. Perhaps she'd have answers regarding Bakura, too.

His thoughts turned back to the white haired boy, and Yami began to silently pace the room again.

They had already known that Bakura had a body in Daricio's world, but they never had been sure entirely what had happened to bring him crossworlds.

Yami had an inkling of a suspicion, though, that Radley had something to do with it, especially if the worlds had been connected in Ancient Egypt.

Somehow, in the split, the tomb robber's spirit had remained with the rest of the Millennium Items and yet his reincarnation had gone to the other world...

_This could mean that the reverse is possible, too..._ Yami thought to himself. _Perhaps Priest Seth's spirit is in Daricio's world even though his reincarnation, Kaiba, is here..._

Yami shook his head. This was getting far too complicated.

Speaking of the other spirit in this world, though, Yami suddenly wondered what had happened to the thief when Bakura went to Daricio's world after being sent to the Shadow Realm.

Had he gone with Bakura, or was he still trapped in the Shadow Realm? Or maybe... perhaps he had taken refuge within the Millennium Puzzle?

Yami blinked, then disappeared into the Puzzle. Quickly, he walked to the center of the dimly lit first floor.

"Tomb Robber!" He yelled, looking up into the depths of his complex soul room. "I know you're in here! I need to speak with you!"

His voice echoed for a moment, and then everything was silent. Yami frowned. _I'll have to look around. Yami Bakura isn't exactly the type to come when he's called._

He started up the first set of stairs, looking around as he did so. "Tomb Robber!" he called again.

Again, no answer, though he thought he caught some movement out of the corner of his eye.

He searched for a little while longer, shouting for him now and then, but didn't find anything.

He sighed, heading back to his soul room door. "Fine," he called over his shoulder. "Your loss, Radley!"

He headed back into Yugi's soul room and almost collided with Daricio.

"We're at the hospital." She said, grinning in slight relief.

Yami nodded. "All right, let's go."

(A/n: (randomly)Yay for monologues!)

* * *

+Daricio+ (A little earlier) 

Daricio stared out the window of the car as they drove towards the hospital. It was dark outside, and a soft misty rain was falling.

Everybody in the car was quiet. The only noise was the near-silent whisper of the tires against wet pavement.

Daricio watched the dim scenery go by without really seeing it as a thousand questions floated lazily through her head. Her eyelids began to droop from the exhaustion of all that had happened that day.

She let her blurry eyes go to the sky where a single tiny star was shining through the clouds of the moon-less night.

Slowly she smiled, and she began to mouth the words of the ageless children's rhyme.

"Star light, star bright, first star I see tonight..." she breathed. The star went out of focus, making it seem brighter to her tired eyes. "I wish I may, I wish I might have the wish I wish tonight."

An idle thought crossed her mind that "tonight" doesn't technically rhyme with "tonight," and her wandering attention was caught by the little star that continued to grow brighter.

She blinked slightly, trying to bring it back into focus and get the light to return to its normal pinprick, but still it continued to glow until it even chased the clouds away.

The sheer blinding light caused her to look away and she gasped inwardly. The hot desert sun shone down on her and the few others around her. She was no longer in a car, but riding a horse, something she had always loved doing.

"Atemu, over here!" One of the others, a boy with sandy blonde hair called. It took Daricio a second to realize that they weren't speaking English, but Egyptian.

Looking around, she saw a teenager who could only be Yami on another horse toss a round disk to him.

"Give it back, Jonu!" A teen girl, the only one not on a horse, called in annoyance, obviously having fun even though she was being teased.

"No way, Teana!" He laughed. "Dari, catch!" He threw the disk over the top of Teana's head straight towards Daricio.

Daricio grinned and moved her horse forward, standing up in the saddle slightly to catch it, then threw it off towards the last boy in the group.

"You have horrible aim, Jonu!" she yelled, laughing at the look he gave her.

"Dari!" Teana complained, running towards the last boy. "Seth!"

Seth threw it back to Atemu who laughed and tossed it down to Teana.

Jonu and Seth groaned. "Aw, come on! Ruin all our fun, why don't ya?" Jonu whined.

Atemu grinned at them, offering Teana a hand up onto his horse. Teana stuck her tongue out at him childishly and ran to Dari's horse, swinging up onto it behind her.

"Catch us if you can!" Teana yelled.

Dari grinned. The horse reared for a second, then Dari pushed it as fast as it could go. Faintly, she could hear the others' calls as the two girls rode off, laughing merrily.

"Dari! Teana! Dari! Dari! Dari!"

Dari's grin couldn't be wider. Playing with her friends always made her feel better, no matter what sort of things had gone wrong before.

Sighing, she looked up into the familiar desert sun. She blinked as the Eye of Horus began to form around it and the light itself began to fade.

"Dari! Dari! Dari! Dari!"

Slowly, Dari brought her horse to a halt, staring up at the dimming sun. Rapidly shrinking, it was soon the size of just a tiny pinprick. Then all around her, everything went dark, but the Eye of Horus still remained.

"Daricio!"

Daricio blinked, shaking herself. "Hmm?"

"You fell asleep." DVD said, giving her an odd look. "We're here."

Daricio blinked again, glanced up at the twinkling star in the still cloudy sky, then climbed out of the car. '_What an odd dream...'_ she thought to herself. _'Very odd. I mean, come on... Yami being called Atem...whatever it was..._'

As she walked into the building, shaking her head to clear it, she mentally headed into Yugi's soul room to find Yami and almost collided with him as he was headed out.

"We're at the hospital." She said, grinning in slight relief.

Yami nodded. "All right, let's go."

(A/n: Yay for random Egyptian flashbacks. u.u)

* * *

+Mr. Gice+ 

Mr. Gice pulled his small briefcase up on the only slightly larger table that was in the corner of the room that Joey was currently sharing with Tea, Serenity, Duke, Tristan, and himself. Inside, were some of the prototypes for his RWC.

Quietly, he lifted out the foam bottom and began pulling out different cables and equipment that he had brought along in case his device needed to be repaired.

At the moment, though, reparation was not the adventure he was beginning. Carefully, he got up onto the table and tugged the security camera loose from the wall a little.

Turning it to the side, he opened it up and unplugged a few wires, substituting them for some of this own, connecting the simple machinery to his screen. Then he climbed down and began flipping through the different rooms.

He had wanted to do this earlier, to make sure no cheating was going on, but there hadn't been time, and he didn't particularly want everybody on board to know that he was doing it. Now, when everybody was sleeping, was the perfect time.

Scanning through a few rooms confirmed that most everybody was asleep. Only three or four rooms showed signs of activity, and most of these were random workers and engineers keeping the blimp on course.

As he looked around at the different areas, he was careful not to do any peeking into any of the girls' rooms. After all, he wasn't some kind of pervert.

Viewing Yugi's room, Mr. Gice smiled as he watched a near invisible form, viewable only because of Mr. Gice's screen capabilities, pace back and forth across the floor.

He watched for a moment until the form, obviously Yami, disappeared. Then he flipped over to a room where, according to the security system, a computer was in use.

Mr. Gice smiled at the sight of Mokuba curled up in a chair, Kaiba's trench coat draped over him as a blanket. Kaiba himself was the one on the computer.

He seemed to be studying the Egyptian text on the Ra card. Every now and then he'd mouth a few of the words aloud, but every time Mr. Gice tried to lip-read him, it was obvious that he was reading in the ancient language rather than in English.

Mr. Gice frowned, wondering when Mr. Kaiba learned Egyptian. Being a scientist, he disliked the idea of magic in a world of technology, but after the 'visions' that Kaiba and Daricio had had during that duel, it was hard to deny it.

Kaiba, of course, seemed to have no appreciation for the sudden gift of tongues that he had concerning the language, or for any of the other magic displayed during this tournament.

Mr. Gice shook his head. He'd come to his senses eventually. Even if you didn't want to think of your life being controlled by Destiny, as Mr. Gice himself did, such odd things existed whether you called it 'magic' or not. There was really no other way to explain it.

Kaiba sighed and leaned back in his chair, closing his eyes and rubbing his neck, which was sore from staring at the computer screen for so long.

A quick glance at his own security screens, however, showed Kaiba a very sideways view of the room that had many people scattered sleeping all over the place. He sighed again, looking up at the security camera in his room.

"Mr. Gice, go to bed. And leave my security system alone."

Mr. Gice grinned, saluted the sideways camera in his room, and turned off his monitor, shutting down Kaiba's whole security system as he did so.

He could have sworn that he heard Kaiba's groan from all the way across the blimp.

Whistling cheerfully, he found a comfortable place on the floor and went to sleep.

* * *

+Bakura+ 

Bakura stared up at the ceiling of the hospital room, still trying to figure out how he had gotten there.

No matter how hard he tried, he couldn't mentally connect with Radley. The only time that had ever happened before was... Well, it hadn't ever happened before...

The only explanation that he could think of that fit the situation, including what the nurse had told him about him being in a coma for several years and the stiffness of his body, was that he had somehow crossed worlds again, as he had when he first went to where Radley was.

And even that explanation made little to no sense. If that was true, then there was nobody in the entire world here who knew him... After all, as far as he knew, he had no relatives, and his parents were both gone...

He found himself growing slightly frustrated. He had just been getting onto better terms with Radley. Things were just starting to look up for him! And now he had to start his life over again!

The door to the room opened and Bakura's expression immediately lightened and he pushed the tears that had been coming away. He didn't want anybody else to know that he was feeling bad...

A doctor entered the room and Bakura sat up, giving him a questioning look.

"You've got some visitors, Ryou." The doctor said, smiling.

"Visitors? But... "

A girl about Bakura's age pushed past the doctor and ran to the bedside. "Bakura! I'm glad you're ok!" she cried, giving the now very surprised boy a hug.

The doctor smiled and left the room.

"Um..." Bakura blinked, pulling the girl off so that he could look at her. "Daricio?"

Daricio nodded, grinning. "Hey. I'm not sure exactly how, but you somehow ended up in my world..."

"I... see..." Bakura said slowly. "I think."

He noticed another girl and two boys file into the room. "Who're they?"

Daricio looked over her shoulder, then turned back, "Oh, that's my sister, Shells, and my brothers, DVD and Jrj." She introduced.

"Nice to meet you." Bakura said politely. He looked back at Daricio. "Good to see that you made it back ok, Daricio."

Daricio smiled. "I was more worried about you, actually. From what we could tell, you and your yami were just on the losing end of a duel with Yami Malik..."

Bakura nodded. "Yeah, the dark duel just basically sent us to the Shadow Realm when we lost. Something pulled me away from Radley, and when I next opened my eyes, I was here..."

"Yami says that sometimes the Shadow Realm acts as a link between worlds. He said he thought that that might be what happened." Shells put in.

Bakura smiled at everyone. "I'm just glad that I didn't get pulled somewhere where I'd have to be completely alone..."

The doctor came back in with Daricio's parents just then.

"Ryou, the Joness' and I were just talking..." The doctor began, "Are you sure that you don't have any living relatives?"

Bakura blinked again. "As far as I know." He answered. "Why?"

"Because, since you're perfectly healthy according to our tests, we're not really allowed to keep you here at the hospital. But in order for you to go, I need to sign you out with a family member, since you're not 18 yet..."

Bakura shifted his gaze to the floor. "So in other words, there's really nowhere I can go." He said somewhat dully.

"Not necessarily." Daricio's mom said, smiling. "That's what the doctor was just talking to us about. We have a game room that we could convert into an extra bedroom..."

"We've been thinking about it our whole way up to the hospital." Daricio's dad added. "And we've decided that, if you'd like to, of course... we could take you in."

Everybody in the room that was under the age of 18 very suddenly had wide eyes.

"You... You'd adopt me?" Bakura asked.

The two nodded, smiling.

Bakura's face broke out in a grin. He climbed out of the bed and hugged the two adults. The rest of the kids came in to hug Bakura as well.

"I guess it's settled, then." The doctor said, looking pleased at the outcome. "Ryou can get into his normal clothes, and the rest of us can go and take care of the paperwork."

* * *

... DON'T HURT ME! (cowers) I'm too young to die!

(sweatdrop) I've been planning on doing that scene for quite a while now... ... And I don't like how it turned out, either...

But I've owed you guys a new chapter for a while now, sooo...

Yeah...

Malik: (gag) The cheesiness is killing me.

Radley: (rolls eyes) All I can say is that I'm glad Kura's not here, or he'd be blushing up a storm...

Daricio: (huge sweatdrop)


End file.
